Tag Archives: Middle East

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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Higher Imports into Western Europe of PVC, ABS, PTA, N-Butyl Acetate, Polyethylene, and Polypropylene from APAC are Projected in 2025; Increases Expected on PE from North America and PP from the Middle East

A surge in imports of these and other polymers and chemicals have led to warnings of an existential crisis for the European chemical industry, and, have led INEOS to announce plans to file 10 major anti-dumping cases to protect these strategic materials.

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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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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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Trends in Oman’s Exports of Polyolefins

Startup of the Liwa Plastics Industry Complex in Sohar in 2020/2021 boosted Oman’s production capacity for polyethylene by 880,000 tons per year, and polypropylene by 300,000 tons per year. This led to a surge in exports, although lower global demand and increased competition, among other factors, impacted shipments in 2024 and are projected to also affect 2025.

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New POM Capacity in China is Projected to Lower Global Trade Volume in 2025 by 6% from 2024, to 1.2 Million Tons

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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