China exported more olefins, polymers in May

25 June 2007 05:37  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--China exported more olefins and polymers in May, statistics from the country’s customs bureau released over the weekend showed.

In May, exports of ethylene doubled to 10,580 tonnes and while butadiene (BD) surged nine-fold to 3,634 tonnes, compared with the same month a year ago.

It exported 2,964 tonnes of high density polyethylene (HDPE) last month, a tripling from the same month in 2005.

Exports of low density PE (LDPE) 50% and linear low density (LLDPE) in May went up by 50% and 47% to 1,423 tonnes and 661 tonnes respectively.

China’s exports of polypropylene (PP) rise 15%, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) grew by 29% and polystyrene (PS) tripled.

The only exception was acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), which saw exports fall 76% to 2,375 tonnes.

China’s imports of ethylene and propylene in May quadrupled and tripled respectively to 51,633 tonnes and 48,881 tonnes while its BD imports fell 16% to 7,553 tonnes.

The country imported 67% more benzene and 123% more paraxylene (PX) but imports of mixed xylenes (MX) and toluene dropped by 90% and 58% respectively.

Its intermediates imports grew in May, with styrene monomer (SM) imports rising 43% to 220,463 tonnes and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) imports growing 26% to 473,450 tonnes.

Imports of acrylonitrile (ACN) rose 26% while caprolactam imports were unchanged. Phenol imports, however, fell 78% to 39,848 tonnes while exports more than doubled to 72 tonnes.

In other chemicals, China imported 3% less of methanol last month, but its exports of the material surged five-fold to 30,165 tonnes.

Ethanol imports fell to 6 tonnes last month from 2448 tonnes in May 2005 while exports sank 83% to 12,759 tonnes during the same period.

Product	May	Import (tonnes)	Export (tonnes)
Naphtha	2007	10952 (12%)	58096 (-72%)
	2006	9818	210824
Olefins
Ethylene	2007	51633 (395%)	10580 (106%)
	2006	10422	5129
Propylene	2007	48881 (224%)	(NA)
	2006	15093	0
Butadiene	2007	7553 (-16%)	3634 (859%)
	2006	8968	379
Polymers
hdPE	2007	150251 (-20%)	2964 (233%)
	2006	188850	890
ldPE	2007	61648 (-20%)	1423 (50%)
	2006	77439	947
lldPE	2007	132239 (5%)	661 (47%)
	2006	126315	451
PP	2007	227515 (3%)	2697 (15%)
	2006	220957	2348
PVC	2007	57189 (-53%)	69019 (29%)
	2006	120503	53496
PS	2007	105080 (-7%)	30424 (207%)
	2006	113007	9918
ABS	2007	181436 (6%)	2375 (-76%)
	2006	170393	9918
PC	2007	75568 (18%)	22637 (68%)
	2006	64191	13460
Aromatics
Benzene	2007	23726 (67%)	5972 (106%)
	2006	14229	2898
Toluene	2007	28898 (-58%)	191 (155%)
	2006	68869	75
MX	2007	114 (-90%)	7 (-71%)
	2006	1149	24
PX	2007	262792 (123%)	11490 (-36%)
	2006	118107	17850
Intermediates
SM	2007	220463 (43%)	17 (-88%)
	2006	154027	145
PTA	2007	473450 (26%)	0 (NA)
	2006	375771	0
MEG	2007	367375 (20%)	172 (760%)
	2006	306633	20
ACN	2007	39392 (26%)	(NA)
	2006	31385	0
Caprolactam	2007	35369 (%)	(-100%)
	2006	35443	6
Phenol	2007	39848 (-78%)	72 (132%)
	2006	183549	31
Others
Methanol	2007	99135 (-3%)	30165 (439%)
	2006	102547	5592
Acetone	2007	37889 (73%)	24 (%)
	2006	21896	24
BPA	2007	33995 (17%)	25 (4%)
	2006	29038	24
IPA	2007	11853 (32%)	72 (-55%)
	2006	8953	160
MEK	2007	9247 (-3%)	3444 (8%)
	2006	9490	3195
MIBK	2007	3232 (3%)	(NA)
	2006	3148	0
Ethanol	2007	6 (-100%)	12759 (-83%)
	2006	2448	74193

Source: China Customs

By: Jeanne Lim
+65 6780 4359

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