Supply for needle coke is growing tight. This comes amid healthy demand in China for the product as an anode material for batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) and the country’s tighter clampdown on illegal iron and steel production. The result has been overseas market conditions trending upward, with needle coke prices rising by over 50...
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Chinese VOC Regulations for New Cars Could Mean AD Duty on POM Imports
Regulations in China now require low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inside all new cars sold in January of this year onward. The new regulations were put into effect based on the previously recommended VOC criteria by the Chinese government. Cars sold before January of this year will also be required to meet the...
Morita Chemical Industries to Further Boost Production of LiB Electrolyte in China
Morita Chemical Industries Co. Ltd. will boost production of lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) at its base in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province, China. LiPF6 is used as an electrolyte in lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs). The company plans to raise annual production capacity by 50 percent to reach 7,500 tons by 2018. It has already filed applications with the...
China Eager to Move Toward OLED as LCD Replacement
China is the world’s largest producer of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) but is now actively investing in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as a means to replace LCD technology. OLED production lines with Japanese manufacturing equipment have been established in the country, as China hopes to improve yield, productivity and quality to make a full-scale entry...
Chinese Rare Earth Suppliers Regroup to Capitalize on Market Recovery
The international rare earth market is gradually recovering, with supply having tightened due to supplier integration in China. Exports have also seen a rise from an increase in consumer demand both in Japan and abroad. As part of this trend, major Chinese suppliers have established a system that periodically sets the trading value of light...
Could China’s Environment Regulations Mean the End for Bulk of Chemical Companies?
The expected long-term extension of the Chinese government’s environmental policy-based regulations on chemical plant operations is driving speculation that at least 60 percent of China’s chemical producers could be culled. One market insider spoke of the possibility that small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) lacking financial clout would close, leaving the “chemical giants” — state-owned enterprises...
Shanghai Softens Regulations to Encourage Science, Tech Growth
The Shanghai Municipal Government has announced that it will be moving forward with policies to promote the industrialization of science and technology. These policies will go into effect on June 1. As part of the science and technology component in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, the new initiatives seek to turn Shanghai into a world-renowned center...
Sumitomo Chemical to Expand Chinese Production With New Facilities in Chengdu, Dalian
Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) announced on May 23 that the company will be boosting production capacities for its automotive materials operations in China. The company will be constructing a new factory in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, for polypropylene (PP) compound, which is used in automotive bumpers and interiors. The company will also be establishing new...
Polycarbonate Investment in China Grows as Covestro Adds Capacity
Polycarbonate (PC) investment in China is heating up. Covestro AG of Germany has decided to invest in extra production capacity that will come online in 2019. Additionally, Zhuhai Huinong Touzi Fazhan ltd has announced plans to enter the industry. Other Chinese companies are also looking at similar moves in the future, aiming to tap into...
Falloff in Chinese Carbon Black Imports Causes Feedstock Procurement Headaches – Part 2
A drop in import volume in the carbon black market seems to have aroused particular concern recently. While Japan’s carbon black output has been declining over the past few years, import volume has remained high, primarily emanating from China. These imports helped make up for supply instability in the wake of the Great East Japan...
Falloff in Chinese Carbon Black Imports Causes Feedstock Procurement Headaches – Part 1
A drop in import volume in the carbon black market seems to have aroused particular concern recently. While output in Japan has been declining over the past few years, import volume has remained high, primarily emanating from China. These imports helped make up for supply instability in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake...
China Again Extends Anti-Dumping Duties on Chloroprene Rubber Imports
China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has decided to extend its existing anti-dumping (AD) duties on chloroprene rubber (CR) originating in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. Duties ranging from 10.2 to 151 percent will be imposed for a five-year period starting on May 10. Responding to requests by Chinese manufacturers, the MOC launched an anti-dumping review...
China Promotes Domestic Production of TPE as Part of New Industrial Initiative – Part 3
China’s new industrial initiative, Made in China 2025, is part of an attempt by the country to further improve the its manufacturing sector. One material in particular that China aims to promote is thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). However, the country’s self-sufficiency in this realm is low. Thermoplastic elastomers olefinic (TPO) and copolyester (TPC) are being targeted...
China Promotes Domestic Production of TPE as Part of New Industrial Initiative – Part 2
Aiming to further bolster its manufacturing sector, China has put forward a new industrial promotion initiative, Made in China 2025. Through this initiative, the country will work to grow its priority fields of technological innovation, next-generation communication, biotechnology and new materials. In new materials, China is pursuing the development of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). One type...
China Extends Scope of Chemical Plant Regulations, Potentially Squeezing Supply – Part 2
China is reportedly extending its environmental policy-based regulations on chemical factory operations into the long term. The Ministry of Environmental Protection is dispatching a special investigation team to factory sites to conduct regular inspections over the coming three years. More than half of the sites visited thus far have been issued orders for improvement, and...
China Extends Scope of Chemical Plant Regulations, Potentially Squeezing Supply – Part 1
China appears to be extending its environmental policy-based regulations on chemical factory operations into the long term. A special inspection team dispatched to factory sites by the Ministry of Environmental Protection is being given an expanded nationwide scope of operation, and will conduct regular inspections over the coming three years. More than half of the...
With Industry Abuzz Over New Chinese Regulations, IE Expo Draws Record Participation
With China’s IE Expo 2017 taking place last week, it was the eighteenth installation of Asia’s largest environmental trade show. Running May 4–6 at the Shanghai New International Exposition Center, this year’s trade show included a record number of over 1,600 participating companies. In addition to Chinese firms, numerous Japanese, European and U.S. companies operated...
China’s Coal Chemical Industry Stands at a Crossroads – Part 2
By Yohei Tada, Correspondent of The Chemical Daily in Shanghai, China. Due to stagnating crude oil prices and worsening environmental problems, China’s coal chemical sector is expected to lose competitiveness. With low operation rates at the country’s new plants, Japanese general trading companies have stopped showing interest. But with development in this sector remaining essential...
China’s Coal Chemical Industry Stands at a Crossroads – Part 1
By Yohei Tada, Correspondent of The Chemical Daily in Shanghai, China. Due to stagnating crude oil prices and worsening environmental problems, China’s coal chemical sector is expected to lose competitiveness. The country’s new plant operation rate is low, and Japanese general trading companies that considered investments in the region until just a few years ago...
European Companies Express Caution Over China Manufacturing 2025
China and the EU are at odds over China Manufacturing 2025, China’s 10-year plan for the advancement of its industrial structure. The unease was triggered by a March 7 report from the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC), which is comprised of European firms with a presence in China. The report expressed caution...
