China posts strong results in wood products trade in H1 août 21, 2007
China’s wood products trade in the first
half of 2007 continued to show dramatic increases, according to the latest statistics data from China’s customs agency.
Imports for raw material commodities such as logs, paper
pulp, waste paper and wood chips rose dramatically, and
wooden furniture imports surged. However, imports for
wood-based panel (including plywood, fiberboard and
particle board) continued to decline at a higher rate.
Despite this trend, four kinds of commodities represented
by wooden furniture, paper and paper products, as well as
plywood were the leading products exported with export
value topping US$11.5 million, making up 78.5％ of the
national total. In addition, exports of fiberboard, resin and
resin products also increased at a higher rate but exports
for raw materials commodities such as sawnwood, wood
chips and charcoal showed a marked declining trend.
1.1 Imports Logs
China’s log imports in the first half of 2007 were 20
million m3 and worth US$2.7 billion, a year on year
increase of 20.3 in volume and 45.6% in value. Of the
total, softwood log imports amounted to 12.5 million m3,
valued at US$1.2 billion. Hardwood log imports amounted
to 7.4 million m3 and were valued at US$1.5 billion.
Softwood and hardwood log imports were up 20.1% and
20.7%, respectively, from the same period last year. The
value of softwood and hardwood log imports were up
41.7% and 48.9%, respectively, from the same period last
year. Among hardwood log imports, tropical log imports
were about 4.46 million m3, up 20.7% from the same
period last year.
Log imports still came mainly from Russia, up 18.9%
from the same period last year. However, the proportion of
log imports from Russia fell slightly from 70.8% in the
first half of 2006 to 70% in the first half of 2007. The top
10 supplying countries are listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Top 10 supplying countries of China’s log imports in the first half of 2007
Country
Imports (1000 m3)
Proportion （%）
Total
19 996.6
100
Russia
13 995.9
70
Papua New Guinea
1 300.0
6.5
Malaysia
681.1
3.4
Gabon
609.2
3.0
New Zealand
607.7
3.0
Solomon
527.5
2.6
Germany
375.6
1.9
Equatorial Guinea
282.0
1.4
Australia
226.9
1.1
Myanmar
202.8
1.0
Manzhouli Port received the largest amount of log imports
at 6.38 million m3, accounting for 31.9% of the national
total. Harbin Port was the second largest with log imports
of 4.29 million m3, making up 21.5% of the national total.
Log imports through Nanjing Port (mainly Zhangjiagang
City) was ranked third (4.20 million m3), but the value of
log imports through Nanjing Port topped US$891 million,
consisting of 32% of the national total (see Table 2).
Table 2. Customs reports on imported logs in China in the
first half of 2007
Customs
Volume
Value
1000 m3
%
1000 $
%
Manzhouli
638.11
31.9
624 395.4
22.4
Harbin
429.46
21.5
446 513.4
16
Nanjing
419.84
21
890 899.4
32
Huhehot
178.65
8.9
183 994.0
6.6
Guangdong
89.07
4.5
194 695.9
7
Shanghai
76.31
3.8
174 565.9
6.3
Qingdao
38.34
1.9
43 315.1
1.6
Xiamen
29.62
1.5
38 751.9
1.4
Hangzhou
24.79
1.2
35 347.9
1.3
Dalian
28.73
1.4
48 438.5
1.7
Kunming
11.11
0.6
20 684.9
0.7
Sawnwood
In the first half of 2007, sawnwood imports rose slightly.
Imports were 3.1 million m3 worth US$843 million, up
1.6% in volume and 4.8% in value from the same period
last year. There are eight countries supplying China’s
sawnwood imports (see Table 3).
Table 3. Top supplying countries of China’s sawnwood imports in the first half of 2007
Country
Imports (1000 m3)
Proportion(%)
Russia
3 115.8
100
U.S.
793.6
25.5
Thailand
497.9
16
Canada
333.6
10.7
Malaysia
303.3
9.7
Brazil
156
5
Indonesia
141.8
4.6
New Zealand
131.5
4.2
The main region importing sawnwood were coastal cities
in Guangdong. In the first half of 2007, sawnwood imports
to Guangdong (mainly through Shenzhen and Guangzhou)
were 1.0 million m3, accounting for 32.8% of the national
total. Sawnwood imports through Shanghai were 651,600
m3, making up 20.9%. Sawnwood imports recorded by
Manzhouli customs agency were 480,400 m3, accounting
for 15.4% (see Table 4).
Table 4. Customs statistics on imported sawnwood in China in the first half of 2007
Customs
Volume
Value
1000 m3
%
1000 $
%
Guangdong
1 020.9
32.8
276 161.6
32.9
Shanghai
651.6
20.9
249 637.2
29.7
Manzhouli
480.4
15.4
69 990.4
8.3
Huhehot
186
6
25 769.4
3.1
Tianjin
119.3
3.8
35 851.1
4.3
Dalian
111.1
3.6
30 645.4
3.6
Harbin
106.5
3.4
22 919.8
2.7
Qingdao
105.8
3.4
33 412.4
4
Wood-based panels
Wood-based panel imports continued to decline compared
with that in the same period of 2006. Of the total, plywood
imports were 159,700 m³ worth US$89.3 million, down
32.1% in volume and 17.4% in value from the same period
in 2006. Fiberboard imports and import values came to
238,600 tons and US$90.1 million, down 18.3% in volume
and 8.4% in value from the same period in 2006. Particle
board imports and import values amounted to 146,700 tons
and US$47.1 million, down 24.1% in volume and 10.8%
in value from the same period in 2006. Imported plywood
was mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Wood pulp, paper and paper products, waste paper
Wood pulp, paper and paper products, as well as waste
paper were still the leading imported wood products. In
the first half of 2007, wood pulp imports were 4.2 million
tons worth US$2.6 billion, up 2.5% and 25.4% from the
same period in 2006. The imports of pulp and paper
products amounted to 2.2 million tons worth US$2.172
billion. Waste paper imports came to 11.7 million tons
worth US$ 1.974 billion. The import value for these three
commodities reached US$6.79 billion, making up 59.4%
of the total value for all wood products.
China’s imported paper pulp was mainly from Russia,
Indonesia and the US. China’s waste paper was mainly
from the US, Japan, UK and the Netherlands (see Table 5).
Table 5. Top supplying countries and regions for China’s
imported paper pulp and waste paper in the first half of 2007
Country
Paper and pulp
Country and region
Waste paper
Imports (1000 t)
Proportion (%)
Import (1000 t)
Proportion (%)
Canada
1 053.4
25
U.S.
4654.2
39.5
Russia
520
12.3
Japan
1696.7
14.4
Indonesia
501.2
11.9
England
1409
12
Chile
497.1
11.8
Netherlands
879.8
7.5
U.S.
493.8
11.7
Hong Kong
501.3
4.3
Brazil
461.2
11
Germany
454.5
3.9
Wooden furniture
Wooden furniture was one of the major wood products
experiencing the fastest growth. In the first half of 2007,
the value of wooden furniture imports were 860,900 pieces
worth US$74.138 million, up 46.7% in value from the
same period in 2006.
Charcoal, activated carbon and wood chips
The growth of charcoal, activated carbon and wood chips
are fastest. The growth rates of charcoal and activated
carbon imports were highest, although their imports were
not large and amounted to 31,300 tons and 5,100 tons,
respectively. Wood chips imports came to 470,400 tones
valued at US$61.968 million, up 46.2% in volume and
42.2% in value from the same period in 2006. At present,
China has been a net import country from pure export
country in terms of wood chips and charcoal.
1.2 Exports
Four major commodities (wooden furniture, paper and
paper products, wooden products and plywood) are the
leading exported products and fastest growing products.
Wooden furniture
In the first half of 2007, the value of all kinds of wooden
furniture (wooden frame seats, office furniture, kitchen
furniture, bedroom furniture) exports totaled 132 million
pieces worth US$4.863 billion. The destinations of
China’s wooden furniture exports were quite diversified
over 100 countries and regions. Among these countries
and regions, China’s wooden furniture exports to the US,
Hong Kong, the UK and Japan were the largest. According
to the latest statistics from China Customs, in the first half
of 2006 the value of China’s wooden furniture exports to
these countries and regions was 27.3%, 11.5%, 10.5%,
9.4% respectively. In the first half of 2007, the value of
wooden furniture exports processing with imported
materials was US$1.755 billion, making up 36.1% of the
national total for wooden furniture export value.
Paper, paperboard, paper products
Paper, paperboard, paper products exports were 2.98
million tons valued at US$3.1 billion. Paper and paper
products imports had been declining and their exports
continued to grow in recent years.
‘Other’ wooden products
China exports many kinds of other wooden products and
include wooden doors and windows. In the first half of
2007, all kinds of other wooden products exports were
1.09 million tons earning US$1.8 billion, up 6.5% in
volume and 12.9% in value. Of the total, the value of
building materials exports was US$510 million (making
up 28%), the value of handicraft exports was US$442
million (24.3%), the value of wooden tableware and
kitchen utensils exports was US$163 million (8.9%), the
value of others exports was US$690 million (37.9%).
Wood-based panels Plywood
In the first half of 2007, plywood exports continued to
grow and were 4.5 million m3, earning US$1.7 billion, up
27.8% in volume and 42.3% in value from the same period
in 2006.
China’s plywood exports to the U.S. were largest, making
up 21% of the national total. The top countries importing
above 100,000 m3 of China’s plywood are shown in Table
6.
Table 6. Top destinations of China’s plywood exports in the first half of 2007
Country and region
Volume (1000 m³)
Proportion (%)
U.S.
936.6
21
Japan
355.8
8
Taiwan Province
314.9
7
South Korea
265.7
5.9
UK
251.4
5.6
United Arab Emirates
192.2
4.3
Saudi Arabia
150.9
3.4
Hong Kong
131.1
2.9
Germany
125
2.8
In the first half of 2007, Nanjing Port, Qingdao Port and
Shanghai Port were the main ports of export for plywood.
Sawnwood exports through these ports made up 40.2%,
33.5% and 10.7%, respectively, of the national total (see
Table 7).
Table 7. Customs agencies’ data for export plywood in China in the first half of 2007
Customs
Volume (1000 m3 )
Proportion (%)
Nanjing
1 798.1
40.2
Qingdao
1 495.9
33.5
Shanghai
477.1
10.7
Tianjin
161.4
3.6
Dalian
161.2
3.6
Total
4470.5
100
Sawnwood, wood chips, charcoal and special shaped timber
In the first half of 2007, China’s sawnwood and special
shaped timber exports totaled 412,100 m3 and 245,100
tons, down 6.4% and 1.8% respectively. However, the
value of sawnwood and special shaped timber exports
grew because their unit prices rose, earning foreign
exchange of US$204 million and US$361 million, up 20%
and 2.9%, respectively, from the same period in 2006.
China’s sawnwood exports were mainly exported to Japan
(57.4%) and little sawnwood was exported to other
countries and regions.
Table 8. Destinations of China’s sawnwood exports in first half of 2007
Country and region
Volume (1000 m3)
Proportion (%)
Japan
231.3
57.4
South Korea
44.1
10.9
US
35.3
8.8
Taiwan Province
17.1
4.2
Vietnam
14
3.5
Total
403.2
100
China’s sawnwood exports were mainly through Dalian, Qingdao, Nanjing and Shanghai. In the first half of 2007, sawnwood exports through Dalian, Qingdao, Nanjing and Shanghai accounted for 41.2%, 19.3%, 6.9% of the national total.
Both the volume and the value of wood chips and charcoal exports fell to some extent. Wood chips exports totaled 209,000 tons valued at US$24.135 million, down 40.6% in
volume and 35.6% in value. Charcoal exports amounted to 20,400 tons worth US$10.18 million, down 11.3% in volume and 17.4% in value.
