Lower imports into China, together with rising exports from China, will impact trade flows out of Western Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
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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.
Continue readingLiquefied Propane Gas Global Trade Continues Expanding and Adapting to Shifting Market Dynamics
LPG global trade expanded each year over the 2020 to 2024 period and continued through April 2025. Rising US exports, increasing demand globally for LPG as a petrochemical feedstock and a cleaner fuel, and the ban on EU imports from Russia were key market drivers.
Continue readingChina Imposes Anti-dumping Duties on Imports of Polyacetals from US, EU, Japan, and Taiwan
On May 18, 2025 China set a rate of 74.9% on imports of polyacetals from the US, 34.5% on imports from EU, and varying rates on imports from Japan and Taiwan. Imports from Japan were set a duty of 35.5%, except for Asahi Kasei, with a company-specific rate of 24.5%; imports from Taiwan were at 32.6%, except for Formosa Plastics, at 4%, and Polyplastics, at 3.8%.
Continue readingKorea Increased PE, PP, and Styrenic Polymer Exports in a Difficult Trade Environment in 2024 by Shifting Export Destinations; PVC and PET Shipments Contracted
Competition from China and depressed demand globally made 2024 a particularly challenging year.
In 2024 Korea exported 4.5 million tons of ethylene polymers (all grades), up 1%; 3.8 million tons of propylene polymers, up 9%; 1.9 million tons of styrenic polymers, up 4%; 0.7 million tons of PVC, down 7%; and 0.8 million tons of PET, down 4%.
Continue readingTrends in US Exports of LNG, Liquefied Propane, Ethane, and Butane
Through July, 2024, the United States exported 53.1 million tons of LNG, up 2% from the same period in the prior year. The US also exported large volumes of other gases, some of which are produced during natural gas processing: 28.5 million tons of liquefied propane gas, up 10%, 5.8 million tons of liquefied ethane, down 3%, and 4.8 million tons of liquefied butane gas, down 2%.The US Energy Information Agency says that five new LNG export projects are under construction in the US, with shipments from two projects lilkely to begin at the end of 2024.
Continue readingPetrochemical Trade – India’s Adani Group to Add PVC Capacity by 2026 – International Trader Publications
Adani Enterprises reported plans for 2 million tons of new PVC capacity in Mundra, Gujarat, with startup of 1 million tons, in phase one, by December 2026. India’s imports of PVC have trended upward in recent years, hitting a high of 3.2 million tons in 2023. The new PVC plant would be the Adani Group’s, a diversified organization with a world-class transport and utility infrastructure portfolio, first petrochemical venture.
Continue readingIndia is the World’s Top PVC Importer. Volume Jumped 70% in 2023
China continued as India’s leading source but imports from many other suppliers also surged, including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States.
Continue readingThe Rise and Fall of Global Paraxylene Trade
New para-xylene capacity in China and also in the Middle East and the rationalization of uncompetitive production in the US and Western Europe have massively changed global trade flows.
Continue readingTrends in Propylene Copolymers Global Trade
Global trade in propylene copolymers was 10 million tons in 2022, down 3% from the prior year. ITP projects another decline of 3% in 2023, to 9.7 million tons.
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