China to grant tariff exemptions on 696 UЫ goods, including crude oil, LNG

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China will grant exemptions on retaliatory duties imposed against 696 US goods, the most substantial tariff relief to be offered so far, as Beijing seeks to fulfill commitments made in its interim trade deal with the United States, reported Reuters.

Tuesday's announcement comes after the Phase 1 trade deal between the two countries took effect on Feb. 14 and is the third round of tariff exemptions China has offered on US goods.

China has committed to boosting its purchases of goods and services from the United States by USD200 billion over two years as part of the agreement, and has already rolled back some additional tariffs on US imports after the deal was signed.

US goods eligible for tariff exemptions include key agricultural and energy products such as pork, beef, soybeans, liquefied natural gas and crude oil, which were subject to extra tariffs imposed during the escalation of the bilateral trade dispute.

The coronavirus epidemic that emerged late last year in China has raised concerns about its ability to meet the purchasing targets, however. Authorities throughout the country imposed major restriction on travel and transportation to curb the spread of the virus, which has killed nearly 1,900 and infected more than 70,000 in the country.

The containment efforts have kept factories shut or operating with drastically reduced staff, hitting production. The public has also been discouraged from leaving their homes or going to public places, also stunting consumption.

White House adviser Larry Kudlow said earlier this month that Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump during a recent call that China will still meet its Phase 1 trade deal purchasing targets.

Beijing's announcement on Tuesday emphasised that Chinese firms will submit applications for tariff exemptions based on market conditions and commercial considerations.

"Unless the state forcefully asks firms to apply for tariff exemption and buy US soybeans, crushers would still go for Brazilian beans, based on market free will," said a trader, adding that Brazilian beans are of good quality and price this year.

Other products subject to exemption on additional tariffs imposed include denatured ethanol and wheat, corn and sorghum. Some medical devices and metals including copper ore and concentrates, copper scrap and aluminium scrap are also subject to exemption.

Pharmaceutical products such as recombinant human insulin and some antibiotics are also among US products eligible for tariff exemptions.

Firms can start submitting their applications on March 2, and any exemptions granted will be valid for one year.

As MRC informed earlier, in H2 2019, tariffs sharply reduced exports of two grades of US polyethylene (PE) amid the ongoing US-China trade dispute. As new US startups brought more high density and linear low density polyethylene production (HDPE and LLDPE) on line, flows into China, the largest global demand center, retreated since China imposed 25% tariffs on those grades in August last year. Those tariffs, like the rest China imposed on the US products, were in response to tariffs the US first imposed on Chinese products.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,093,260 tonnes in 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments rose from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- US propylene inventory had fallen for four consecutive weeks, decreasing 18,000 barrels week on week to 5.451 million barrels in the week that ended February 7, reported S&P Global with reference to the Energy Information Administration's statement.

We reminad that, as MRC informed before, Enterprise Products Partners' Mont Belvieu propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit in Texas restarted from planned maintenance in the first week of December, 2019. The PDH unit went offline for maintenance on November 13. That day, the company said in a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that the RAC "B" turbine shut down, which resulted in flaring. The flaring was estimated to last 72 hours. The unit has a capacity of 750,000 mt/year, according to Platts data.

Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,260,400 tonnes in January-December 2019, up by 4% year on year. Supply of almost all grades of propylene polymers increased, except for statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) will be halting the production of Ultem polymers in its mega production complex in Cartagena, Spain, this year, said the company.

The move is part of the strategy to optimise global operations, the state-owned enterprise said in a bourse filing on Tuesday.

SABIC is the world’s fourth-biggest petrochemicals company. Saudi Aramco has announced a deal to buy a 70 percent stake in SABIC from the Public Investment Fund in March last year.

SABIC assured that the rest of the operations at the Cartagena facility will continue, although it is expecting the suspension to result in a “non-cash financial impact" of approximately 700 million Saudi riyals.

It also assured that it remains committed to meet the product requirements of its existing Ultem customers through its other assets.

"The decision has no direct impact on the other remaining operations at the Cartagena facility," SABIC said.

The Saudi conglomerate has a complex in Cartagena, home to a few plants that specialise in the production of polycarbonate and polyetherimide resins. In September 2010, the company opened the doors to its second Ultem resin plant in the Cartagena complex. The investment costs 300 million euros.

Earlier last year, SABIC took off-stream its SABIC Olefins 4 cracker owing to technical issues on May 10, 2019. Further details on duration of the shutdown could not be ascertained. Located in beek, the Netherlands, the cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 690,000 mt/year and a propylene production capacity of 360,000 mt/year.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,904,410 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments increased from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world's market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Maoming Petrochemical, the subsidiary of one of the world's largest energy and chemical companies - Sinopec will shut a 3 million mt/year CDU for maintenance over mid-February till Mid-April, reported S&P Global.

As MRC informed before, Sinopec Qilu Petrochemical, another subsidiary of Sinopec, plans to shut the cracker unit in Tianjin in northeast China for scheduled repairs on 15 June, 2020. This cracking unit with a capacity of 900,000 tonnes of ethylene per year and 480,000 tonnes of propylene tons per year will be closed for scheduled repairs until 24 June, 2020.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,093,260 tonnes in 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments rose from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,260,400 tonnes in January-December 2019, up by 4% year on year. Supply of almost all grades of propylene polymers increased, except for statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers).

Sinopec corp. is one of the world's largest integrated energy and chemical companies. Business Sinopec Corp. includes oil and gas exploration, production and transportation of oil and gas, oil refining, petrochemical production, production of mineral fertilizers and other chemical products. In terms of refining capacity, Sinopec Corp. ranks second in the world, in terms of ethylene capacity - fourth.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow’s CEO Jim Fitterling is to take on the additional role of board chairman in April, said the company.

"Jim has demonstrated exceptional leadership of Dow, successfully guiding the Company through its separation from DowDuPont Inc. and strengthening its competitive position among industry peers," said Jeff Fettig, non-executive chairman of Dow’s Board of Directors. "The board is confident that this appointment will enable Jim to continue to accelerate the meaningful changes he has already initiated for Dow to achieve its ambition as a world-leading materials science company."

Following the Annual Meeting, directors will select an independent lead director who has served for at least one year on the Board.

Dow also announced that Jill Wyant, executive vice president and president of global regions at Ecolab Inc., has been nominated to stand for election to Dow’s Board of Directors at the Company’s Annual Meeting. As a senior strategy and operating executive with 25 years of experience leading Fortune 500 businesses in the industrial and healthcare sectors, Ms. Wyant brings a strong track record of driving business growth and profitability through breakthrough innovation, manufacturing excellence and operational efficiency, as well as experience driving enterprise-wide digital transformations.

"We are certain that Jill’s fresh and relevant perspective from a parallel industry will enhance the diversity of experience and ideas within our Board," said Fettig. "Her global business management, innovation, sustainability and consumer expertise is fully aligned with Dow’s ambition and growth strategy."

Furthermore, Ruth G. Shaw, former group executive for public policy and president at Duke Nuclear, will continue to serve out her term until the Annual Meeting, at which time she will retire in accordance with the director tenure requirements of the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines. With 15 years of exemplary leadership on Dow’s Board, Ms. Shaw has contributed significantly to the oversight of Dow and served on a variety of committees, including, most recently, as chair of the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee. She also helped lead the Company through several transformational events, including the DowDuPont transaction.

Dow’s Board of Directors bring a variety of relevant skills and diverse experiences, which includes senior leadership, global business, capital allocation, financial acumen, technology expertise, operational experience, as well as marketing and academic research backgrounds. The board is comprised of a strong balance of new and experienced directors, with more than half joining in the past five years. Additionally, Dow’s board possesses gender and ethnic diversity – more than half of the independent directors are female or members of a U.S. ethnic minority group.

As MRC reported earlier, Dow plans to install a new furnace in its steam cracker at Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, increasing its ethylene capacity, currently 1.42 million metric tons/year (MMt/y), by 130,000 metric tons/year.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,093,260 tonnes in 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments rose from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,260,400 tonnes in January-December 2019, up by 4% year on year. Supply of almost all grades of propylene polymers increased, except for statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers).

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation. Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber.
MRC