Although trade tensions have decreased, the higher tariffs in effect and earlier supply disruptions impacting ethane and liquefied propane gas imports from the US have led China to double import quotas on naphtha, which is used mainly to make petrochemicals.
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LNG Trade Between the US and China: Tariffs, US Export Markets, China’s Import Sources
As of February 4th, 2025, the US imposed a 10% tariff on all imports from China. Part of China’s response was to levy a 15% tariff on LNG imports from the US, to go into effect February 10th. In 2024, China reported 4.3 million tons of LNG imports from US; the US reported 6.0 million tons of exports to China, a difference of 1.7 million tons.
Continue readingPetrochemical Trade – Turkey Aims to Accelerate Free Trade Negotiations with the GCC, Potentially Impacting 1.8 Million Tons of Polyolefin Imports – International Trader Publications
Turkey imported 668,000 tons of polyethylene and 1.1 million tons of polypropylene from the GCC in 2023. The duty rate was 6.5% on virtually all grades.
Continue readingTrends in EDC and VCM Global Trade
Global trade volume for both EDC and VCM trended upward from 2018 through 2020 but then diverged, with profound changes in regional, and country, imports and exports over the period.
Continue readingChina’s LNG Imports were Down 21% May 2022 YTD from May 2021 YTD. Imports from US and Other Sources Fell Sharply; Qatar, Russia and Trinidad-Tobago Supplied Higher Volumes
Weak economic activity over the last several months was evident from the drop by over 3 million tons, 21%, in China’s imports of LNG through May, to 26.6 million tons.
Continue readingChina’s Imports of Ethylene Polymers Were up 11% in 2020, to 21.3 M Tons, Although Volume Slowed in the Fourth Quarter
Imports of HDPE were 9.1 million tons in 2020, up 14% from the prior year; linear polymer as EAOC, 6.7 million tons, up 17%; LDPE, 3.4 million tons, down 1%; and EVA, 1.0 million tons, down 3%. Much higher volumes from North America and Eastern Europe and little growth in supplies from the Middle East were striking trends.
Continue readingUS Exports of LNG Drop in February 2020
Trends in Western Europe’s Imports of Polyethylene in 2019
Imports of linear low density polyethylene into Western Europe from North America are projected to nearly equal the region’s imports from the Middle East by year end 2019, based on latest available statistics from 90 countries. Imports of HDPE from North America are trending sharply higher. Imports of both LLDPE and HDPE from the Middle East declined in 2018 and are projected down in 2019.
Continue readingCaustic Soda World Trade
A new report on global trade in aqueous caustic soda projects 20.7 million tons of trade in 2019, up 3% from the prior year, based on latest available statistics from 60 countries. Statistics in the new Caustic Soda in Aqueous Solution World Trade Report project higher exports from all regions, except from the Middle East.
Continue readingChina’s Imports of Polyethylene from the Middle East Continue to climb – Except for EVA
Imports of All Polymers of Ethylene (APOE) into Asia Pacific from the Middle East were up 9% through September 2019, to 10.5 million tons.
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