China to Surpass Japan as World's Largest Hardwood Chip Importer by 2014
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Chinese hardwood chip imports will double from 6.3 million bone dry metric tons (bdmt) in 2011, to 12.7 million bdmt in 2016. Japan's imports of hardwood chips will drop from 9.9 million bdmt to 8.6 million bdmt in the same period, the lowest volume of imports since 1993, according to the 2012 International Pulpwood Trade Review, released this week by RISI, Brussels, Belgium.
China's imports of hardwood chips have increased six-fold over the past four years (2008 to 2011), from 1 to 6.2 million bdmt. This surge in volume was the result of large new pulp mills being built in China near port facilities. The expected construction of a series of new pulp mills over the next several years will drive China's demand for hardwood chips even higher. While China's demand grows, Japan's projected decrease in domestic production of bleached hardwood kraft pulp (BHKP) will continue to diminish its demand for imported hardwood chips, the RISI report notes.
More information about the 2012 International Pulpwood Trade Review is available online.
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