China Customs

China Engineering Thermoplastics August 2016: Tight supplies push up benzene and butadiene costs / PC and PA increase sharply / Overall consumption satisfactory / Domestically produced PA supplies become short / September outlook fair

China Standard Thermoplastics August 2016: Feedstock prices rise / Maintenance season in high gear / Polymer prices stable to slightly soft / Demand satisfactory to sluggish / Inventories normal to slightly low / Outlook for September fair

China Engineering Thermoplastics May 2016: Feedstock costs slide despite maintenance cycle / Aside from PA, all polymers point down / Consumption levels considered average / Positive outlook for June

China Standard Thermoplastics January 2016: C2 and C3 point down, while styrene rises / Polymers mostly firm / Local producers manage to lift some notations slightly ahead of Chinese New Year holidays / Imports trending up / Demand normal for the season

India's Reliance and China's CNOOC announce plans for gas imports from the US / Feedstock to be used for domestic crackers

Plastics processing industry strengthens in 2013 / Upward trend continues in 2014 / Innovation needed to tackle overcapacity

China Standard Thermoplastics March/April 2013: Market mostly stable / Feedstock prices soft / Local manufacturers cut polymer notations to move volumes / No signs of an imminent revival

China Standard Thermoplastics February/March 2013: Production slowly returns to normal following New Year holidays / Feedstock and polymer notations weak / Widely expected post-holiday run fails to materialise / Highly dependent on styrene imports

China August/September 2012: Feedstock prices rise / Polymers follow suit / July ethylene output down / More than 13m t of resin imported this year so far

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

China July/August 2012: Feedstocks follow oil's upward course / Polyolefin, PVC notations wobble slightly / Styrenics firm / No evident summer lull / Countrywide PE and PP inventories lower than last year

China June/July 2012: Oil price causes notations to go all haywire / Most grades post losses / Early July sees first signs of an upward trend / PVC stagnant / Ethylene output down year-on-year

Scrap plastics show dynamic development / Increasing environmental and commercial issues / Imports of 8.39m t in 2011 / Hong Kong still ranks as top origin country despite volume decrease

China April/May 2012: Rollercoaster notations heading downward / Producers grapple with high production costs and reduced revenues / Plunging oil price and Europe debt crisis loom

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

Demand for engineering plastics expected to grow by 10% per year / PC leads the way / Government efforts to strengthen local production / Creation of special engineering plastics hubs?