By John Richardson THE great polyethylene (PE) mystery hunt continues. As the chart above shows, China’s apparent PE demand (imports plus domestic production) grew by 14% in January-July 2013 compared with the same period in 2011, according to Global Trade Information Services and official government data. This compares with a 13% increase recorded for January-June […]
Asian Chemical Connections
Every Time You Dip Your Toe In The Water…
By John Richardson EVERY time you dip your toe in the water the political temperature in China can feel a little different. For instance, in this article in the New York Times, published on 19 July, the newspaper wrote: “Communist Party cadres have filled meeting halls around China to hear a sombre, secretive warning issued […]
Generic Strategies No Longer Good Enough
By John Richardson DURING the economic Supercycle life was easy for chemicals companies. Strong and constant demand growth was assured and so all they had to do was focus on building new, cost-effective capacity. Top-down strategy was generic – a one-size-fits-all approach. Even if chemicals companies got the timing of new capacities slightly wrong it […]
China: Realism Is Not The Same As Pessimism
By John Richardson A CRUCIAL meeting takes place in China in November – the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee. More commonly referred to as “the November plenum”, the outcomes of the meeting will help determine the economic success or failure of China over the long term. President Xi […]
Jump to page: