According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, the country’s exports of plastic products in 2018 reached 41.58 million tons, an increase of 7.1% over the previous year, and the export value was $38.54 billion, an increase of 9.6% over the previous year. In 2018, China’s exports of plastic products to the European Union, the United States, Japan, and ASEAN accounted for 42.7%, 12.8%, 8.7%, and 8.1% of the total, respectively, showing a declining trend in the proportion of exports to developed countries, and a rising trend in the proportion of exports to developing countries.
The main products exported by China in 2018 were plastic bags, plastic film and plastic sheets, plastic pipes and fittings, plastic plates, sheets, tubes and profiles, plastic bottles, and plastic gloves. Exports of plastic bags, plastic film, and plastic sheets increased by 9.4% and 9.1%, respectively. In 2018, China’s major export regions for plastic products were the European Union, the United States, Japan, ASEAN, and South Korea. Interstingly China also exports injection molding machines to North America and Asia as it has a large pool of injection molding machine manufacturers.
Exports to the European Union, the United States, and Japan increased by 6.1%, 8.4%, and 5.2%, respectively, while exports to ASEAN and South Korea decreased by 1.4% and 3.1%, respectively. With the rapid development of China’s economy and the continuous improvement of people’s living standards, the demand for plastic products in the domestic market has been increasing, and the self-sufficiency rate of plastic products has been continuously improved. At the same time, the Chinese government also has policies to encourage the use of recycled plastics, which has promoted the development of the recycling industry of plastic products and ensured the supply of raw materials for the plastic industry.
In 2018, China’s imports of plastic products reached 4.74 million tons, an increase of 3.4% over the previous year, and the import value was $37.78 billion, an increase of 7.8% over the previous year.
From the perspective of product structure, China’s exports of plastic products are mainly concentrated in plastic bags, plastic film, plastic sheets, plastic pipes and fittings, plastic plates, sheets, tubes and profiles, plastic bottles, and plastic gloves. Exports of plastic bags, plastic film, and plastic sheets increased by 9.4% and 9.1%.
From the perspective of import regions, China’s imports of plastic products are mainly from the United States, the European Union, Japan, and South Korea. Among them, imports from the United States, the European Union, and Japan increased by 6.7%, 9.4%, and 8.1%, respectively, while imports from South Korea decreased by 2.6%. The main products imported by China in 2018 were plastic bags, plastic film and plastic sheets, plastic pipes and fittings, plastic plates, sheets, tubes and profiles, plastic bottles, and plastic gloves. Among them, imports of plastic bags, plastic film, and plastic sheets increased by 7.2% and 8.4%.