China exports numerous fabricated plastic products that can be identified by specific polymer, and many other products that involve mixed polymers. Exports of most of these to the US were down June 2025 YTD.
Continue readingMonthly Archives: July 2025
India to Add New PVC Capacity to Reduce Reliance on Imports
Adani Group has announced plans to build a 1 million ton per year PVC plant in Mundra, Gujarat, scheduled on stream in 2028, to meet India’s growing demand for the polymer for agricultural, construction and industrial uses.
Continue readingTurkey Imports Record Volumes of Polyethylene in April and May, Partly Because of a US Pivot from China
New capacity, weak demand and tariff uncertainties resulted in a 6% drop, to 1.1 million tons, in China’s imports of polyethylene from the US. Some US polymer has been directed to Turkey.
Continue readingChina/Vietnam Trade in Several Major Polymers and Chemicals Unlikely to Include Significant Transshipments
A new trade agreement between the US and Vietnam lowers tariffs on goods imported into US from Vietnam as the country of origin but keeps tariffs high if the goods are transshipped from China. Trade between China and Vietnam does not indicate significant transshipments for polyolefins and other products.
Continue readingUS Polyethylene Exports in May 2025 Continued Depressed on Lower China Trade
Chinese retaliatory tariffs on imports of polyethylene from the US resulted in a 24% drop in US shipments to China for the January – May 2025 period, to 822,000 tons. That decline was somewhat offset by higher volumes to other markets, resulting in a 4% increase in the US total, to 6.5 million tons YTD.
Continue readingUS Ethane Exports to China Expected to Rebound in July
The US imposed restrictions on ethane exports to China in late May and early June. Restrictions have since eased and exports are expected to rise.
Continue readingNew US Sanctions on Russian Petrochemical Exports, if Passed, Would: Impact Trade in Polyolefins, Liquefied Gases, Rubber and Other Products; Affect Many Importing Countries; and Cripple Russia’s Economy
The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, introduced in both the US Senate and the House of Representatives in April 2025, is currently in committee. Its enactment is far from certain and depends on negotiations toward peace between Russia and Ukraine. Were it to pass, the impact on Russia would be crippling because of the country’s reliance on exports of energy and related products.
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