China August import volumes of most petrochemical products decline
Viola Pan
26-Sep-2014
By Viola Pan
SINGAPORE
(ICIS)–China’s imports of most petrochemicals in August fell
by volume from the previous corresponding period, with
toluene, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA) and caprolactam
(capro) recording sharp declines, official data showed on
Friday.
Toluene import volume in August shrunk 78% year on year to 18,273 tonnes and slumped 73% from the previous month, according to statistics from China Customs.
Poor demand from downstream sectors like oil blending, and falling domestic prices of the aromatics product led to a much weaker interest to import toluene, an industry source said.
Imports volumes of 2-EHA, meanwhile, plunged 76% year on year to 841 tonnes in August, and down by 13% from July, the data showed.
Meanwhile, capro imports fell by 65% year on year to 15,418 tonnes, and also down 13% from the previous month.
Lower imports for both 2-EHA and capro were largely on account of increased domestic output of the two chemicals, market sources said.
Meanwhile, among those that saw three-digit year-on-year surge in imports for August include methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and ethyl acetate (etac), although the actual volumes are small, according to the data showed. (Please see table below)
China’s imports of MIBK jumped more than six fold to 3,687 tonnes, MEK more than tripled to 164 tonnes, while etac volumes more than doubled to 42 tonnes, the data showed.
Meanwhile, the country’s exports of some petrochemical products, notably, benzene, butyl glycol ether, bisphenol-A (BPA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), showed sharp year-on-year increases, the data showed.
Benzene exports in August surged to 5,777 tonnes in August compared with the previous corresponding period, and also up 30% from July.
Falling domestic prices of benzene, ample supply and weak downstream demand prompted the shifting of shipments to overseas market, an industry source said.
PVC exports more than tripled to 138,738 tonnes in August from the same period last year, but were down 1% from July, the data showed.
China was catering to rising PVC demand from central and southeast Asia, as well as India, industry sources said.
China petrochemical trade for August 2014
| Product | Import (tonnes) | YoY growth (%) | MoM growth (%) | Export (tonnes) | YoY growth (%) | MoM growth (%) |
| Naphtha | 408,800 | 48% | 60% | 0 | – | -100% |
| Ethylene | 114,531 | -22% | 10% | 2 | – | 956% |
| Propylene | 229,021 | 5% | -3% | 0 | – | -100% |
| Butadiene | 14,539 | -45% | 78% | 0 | – | – |
| HDPE | 330,573 | -24% | -16% | 18,754 | 89% | 4% |
| LDPE | 150,064 | -9% | -9% | 3,361 | -37% | -25% |
| LLDPE | 212,888 | 4% | 3% | 3,033 | -2% | -22% |
| PP | 411,182 | 1% | -3% | 15,277 | -8% | 25% |
| PVC | 57,822 | -23% | -18% | 138,738 | 244% | -1% |
| EPS | 7,186 | 12% | -14% | 22,725 | -20% | -18% |
| Benzene | 46,932 | -19% | 5% | 5,777 | 114528% | 30% |
| Toluene | 18,273 | -78% | -73% | 162 | -53% | 143% |
| PX | 678,907 | -14% | 0% | 0 | -100% | -100% |
| SM | 260,691 | -27% | -26% | 0 | -100% | -100% |
| PTA | 55,186 | -61% | -23% | 32,443 | 21% | -20% |
| MEG | 734,240 | 5% | 6% | 339 | 24% | 18% |
| ACN | 37,038 | 9% | -20% | 0 | – | – |
| Caprolactam | 15,418 | -65% | -13% | 2 | – | -67% |
| Phenol | 17,741 | -17% | 80% | 48 | -90% | 90% |
| Methanol | 463,579 | 79% | -27% | 37,103 | -60% | -8% |
| Acetone | 33,358 | -19% | -11% | 15 | -56% | -71% |
| BPA | 42,423 | -16% | 24% | 160 | 895% | -35% |
| IPA | 4,025 | -53% | -34% | 288 | -25% | -96% |
| MEK | 164 | 264% | -27% | 3,133 | -56% | -54% |
| Base oil | 204,171 | 0% | -1% | 1,727 | 52% | 28% |
| MMA | 17,931 | -13% | -38% | 2,965 | -42% | -22% |
| PMMA | 18,045 | -18% | 7% | 1,197 | 7% | -33% |
| GAA | 3,813 | -30% | 68% | 5,787 | -37% | 1% |
| Butyl-A | 1,875 | -1% | -36% | 3,698 | 2% | 27% |
| 2EHA | 841 | -76% | -13% | 488 | 268% | 111% |
| 2-EH | 17,372 | -25% | 183% | 542 | -15% | -93% |
| NBA | 11,989 | -54% | 0% | 103 | -29% | -7% |
| PA | 7,099 | -33% | -1% | 84 | 67% | 260% |
| DOP | 5,738 | 111% | 970% | 686 | 24% | 221% |
| Polysilicon | 8,373 | 57% | -6% | 152 | 15% | 30% |
| Alkylbenzene | 1,074 | -38% | -32% | 21,892 | 224% | 2% |
| Anionic surfactants | 4,566 | -13% | -15% | 15,316 | 46% | 6% |
| Butyl glycol ether | 7,539 | -29% | 6% | 686 | 4629% | 815% |
| MIBK | 3,687 | 556% | 2% | 0 | -100% | – |
| Ethyl acetate | 42 | 162% | 715% | 38,800 | 33% | -19% |
| TiO2 | 20,820 | 31% | 0% | 47,005 | 18% | -12% |
| Epoxy Resins | 21,769 | 25% | 5% | 6,111 | -3% | 12% |
| MA | 28 | 1% | -24% | 2,215 | 75% | -25% |
| ECH | 1,138 | -18% | -46% | 6 | -98% | -87% |
| PET | 13,608 | -17% | -24% | 182,314 | 1% | 1% |
Source: China Customs
Additional reporting by Jenny Yi, Nicky Wang, Huan Shi, Stephanie Zhang
Global News + ICIS Chemical Business (ICB)
See the full picture, with unlimited access to ICIS chemicals news across all markets and regions, plus ICB, the industry-leading magazine for the chemicals industry.
Contact us
Partnering with ICIS unlocks a vision of a future you can trust and achieve. We leverage our unrivalled network of industry experts to deliver a comprehensive market view based on independent and reliable data, insight and analytics.
Contact us to learn how we can support you as you transact today and plan for tomorrow.
READ MORE
