Tag Archives: Asia-Pacific

China’s Changing Role in Global Polyethylene Trade

China continues as the world’s largest PE importer but its percentage share of global trade volume has fallen over the 2020-2025 period. China’s imports are projected to decline further; China’s exports, to increase.

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Projected Trends in Global Trade Volume in 2025 Versus 2024: Bisphenol A, -12%; Polycarbonate Polymer, up 2%; Polycarbonate Film/Sheet, up 10%

New capacity, government regulations, and demand in diverse industries impacted global trade in the BPA to PC film/sheet product train.

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Projected Global Trade Volume in 2025: Methacrylates, 1.3 million Tons, down 1% from 2024; PMMA Polymer, 0.6 million Tons, down 4%; PMMA Film/Sheet, 0.7 million Tons, down 1%

Regional export flows shifted in 2025, pressured by lower global trade volume, weak demand, and new capacity.

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Indonesia’s New Facility Will Reduce Dependence on Imports of Polyethylene and Polypropylene From Asia-Pacific Sources

On November 6, 2025, Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto inaugurated a naphtha cracker that will produce 1 million tons of ethylene and 520,000 tons of propylene. These will reduce Indonesia’s imports of monomers, polymers, and other petrochemicals.

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India’s Demand for Polyolefins Continues to Grow, and With It the Incentive to Reduce Import Dependency

India is currently the world’s second largest importer of polyethylene, with volume (all PE grades) in 2024 of 3.1 million tons, a distant second after China’s 16.7 million tons. India ranks third in polypropylene imports (all grades) with 1.6 million tons in 2024, following China with 4 million tons and Turkey with 2.4 million tons.

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ITP Projects General Purpose Polystyrene Global Trade of 3.3 Million Tons in 2025, up 2%; Expandable Polystyrene Global Trade is Projected at 2.6 million tons, up 5%

Higher exports of both polymer grades are projected from Western Europe and Asia-Pacific.

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ITP Projects Polycarbonate Polymer Global Trade Volume of 3.9 Million Tons in 2025, up 2% from 2024

Prominent trends include: much higher exports out of the Middle East; higher exports also out of Western Europe and Asia-Pacific; increased imports into every world region except Africa and North America.

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ITP Projects ABS Global Trade Volume in 2025 Down 2%; Prominent Trends Include an Increase in APAC Exports, a Decline in WE Exports, and Lower Intra-regional Trade for Both Regions.

ABS global trade is projected at 4.1 million tons in 2025, down 2% from 2024. Prominent trends include an increase in Asia-Pacific exports to other regions, a decline in exports from Western Europe to other regions, and lower intra-regional trade in both regions.

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