Shipments of every grade of polyethylene – LDPE, ethylene-alpha-olefin-copolymers, HDPE, EVA and Other Ethylene Copolymers all set new records, as did exports of polypropylene homopolymer and copolymer.

China exported 1.3 million tons of polyethylene (all grades) through April 2026, up 122%. Exports to Asia-Pacific markets totaled 838,000 tons, up 205% from the same period in 2025. Shipments to Africa were 176,000 tons, up 39%; to Latin America, 128,000 tons, up 107%; to Eastern Europe, 107,000 tons, up 53%; to Western Europe, 45,000 tons, up 80%.

China’s exports of polypropylene (homopolymer plus propylene copolymers) totaled 1.6 million tons through April, up 54%. Exports to Asia-Pacific were 1.1 million tons, up 92%; to Latin America, 200,000 tons, up 2%; to Africa 173,000 tons, up 5%; to Eastern Europe, 92,000 tons, up 47%; to Western Europe, 26,000 tons, up 113%.

From International Trader Publications’ China Polymer Trade Report, a monthly update of China’s imports and exports of all grades of polyethylene, polypropylene, styrenics, PVC, PET, and fabricated plastic products.