The impact of the trade war between the US and China and the associated tariff uncertainty was reflected in US exports of polyethylene to China in April 2025, its lowest in 16 months.

The US shipped 84,000 tons of polyethylene (all grades combined) to China in April, 2025, compared with a high of 292,000 tons the previous December. (China’s April import figures do not yet show a similar falloff because export statistics generally show trade earlier than import statistics, due to transit and customs delays for the latter.)

US exports totaled 5.3 million tons through April, up 5%. China continued as the top destination YTD with 771,000 tons, down 13%. Exports to Brazil, 483,000 tons, also fell, down 17%. Offsetting the declines were higher shipments to Mexico, Canada, Malaysia, and, with particularly large percentage gains, Turkey, Colombia and Vietnam, among others.

From International Trader Publications’ World Trade Analyses, continuously updated analysis of trade for all grades of polyethylene based on latest statistics from all reporting countries.