China and South Korea are early reporting countries with trade data currently available for April 2025. From January to April, China exported 1.0 million tons of polypropylene (all grades), up 17%; Korea shipped 1.2 million tons, down 9%.

The upward trend in China’s exports from 2023 and restricted exports out of Korea are evident:

Exports by region show China’s exports in APAC up 18% through April, to 570 k tons; Korea’s exports to the region dropped by 11% to 609 k tons. China’s exports to Africa jumped 47%, to 166 k tons, while Korea’s fell by the same percentage, to 46 k tons. Korea exported 232 k tons to Eastern Europe, up 17%, and 144 k tons to Western Europe, up 11%. China’s exports to both regions nearly doubled, but volumes were much lower.

From International Trader Publications’ China Polymer Trade Report and Korea Polymer Trade Report, monthly updates of each country’s trade in all commodity polymers, fabricated plastic products and recyclable polymers.