Markets Asia China

Wuhan cracker commissioned / Catalytic cracking unit starts up in Guangdong

Mega-cracker in Fushun is commissioned / Downstream lines to follow

Protests in Ningbo elicit official pledge to halt petrochemical expansion / “Green” sentiment among the public rising / Is official acquiescence to demands linked to tendency towards petrochemical oversupply?

Definite agreement for Chinese fluoroelastomer joint venture / Commissioning expected in H2 2013

Close to 12m t turned out in 2011 / Price of chip exports abroad down year-on-year / First PET resin line installed in 1990 / New capacity expansion wave underway

New massive propane dehydrogenation line in China / Country's propylene capacities set to triple until 2015

Chinese market expected to grow at 6-8% a year / Automotive sector drives / Foreign players vying to get in on the action / CCM International report

Compliance with government ban on super-thin plastic bags varies / Supermarkets score high, farmers' markets low / Cities more obliging than the countryside

Agreement with China Lumena New Materials to market and sell PA 4.6 and PPS / Examining other options at cooperation

Spotlight on China's Zhang Mu Tou plastic trading centre in Dongguan / PIE visits regional hub for plastic buying and selling activities / EUR 1.2 bn in annual turnover

Accelerated Chinese demand spurs new investments / UOP technology selected for two more China propylene projects / Start-ups expected in 2014

Record number of visitors at Chinaplas 2012 / Rising share in foreign attendees at world's second largest plastics fair / Processing sector focuses on sustainability / Increasingly difficult market environment / Domestic demand needs to grow

Merger of key plastics industry groups creates China Synthetic Resin Marketing Association / Tasked with aiding government draw up, implement plastics policies / Resins market continues to grow / PIE exclusive with group head Zheng Kai

Manufacturers reap order bonanza in China / Germany and Japan are the largest exporters

Plastics scrap imports up 5% in 2011 / Rise of 21% in value terms over 2010 / PET scrap sees largest price gains

China February/March 2012: Hardly any demand growth as work resumes post-Chinese New Year / Exports slow / Business expected to pick up again as agricultural season starts / Oil price could push notations up

Plans to relocate ACN production to mainland China / Response to government resolution to encourage more environmentally friendly production

Dawn of the “Great Ethylene Era” / Five Year Plan calls for massive increase in domestic C2 capacities / Pinpointed regional investments / Foreign players race to form joint ventures

China January/February 2012: Lunar New Year puts polymer trade to a standstill / Business slow as facilities are restarted / Price hikes average 3-5% / Most standard thermoplastics see slight rises

New EUR 9.6 bn refinery complex deal inked in Qatar / No start-up date / Around 1.2m t/y of ethylene

China January 2012: 34m t of standard thermoplastics produced in 2011 / Imports exceed 23m t / Three leading trade centres determine polymer pricing / First in a new series of special reports

Second Nanjing expansion phase completed / USD 1.4 bn project / New acrylic acid plant

Dalian city officials reportedly retract promise to relocate Fujia Dahua's PX plant / Citizens threaten renewed protest action

Trial supply of bioplastic kitchen bags to select Nanjing residents / Meeting China's bioplastic goals / Plans to apply model to other Chinese cities

Shell test drills confirm shale gas reserves in China's Sichuan basin / Sinopec chairman says country's shale gas reserves surpass those of US