Chinese take-off

The Chinese import-export of plastics and rubber machinery is growing stronger, according to official data referring to the first half of 2010 released by the local statistics office. With respect to the previous year, imports registered a 25% jump, topped by exports at +28%. In both cases, the uptrend was sustained by the increased flows of injection moulding machines, which represent (besides moulds) the most important customs code.
The leading provider of machinery, equipment and moulds for the Chinese processors was Japan, holding about a 30% share with 37% growth over the past year. Next in line are Germany (21%, +8%), Taiwan (11%, +76%), South Korea (10%, +43%) and Italy (6%, +34%).
The ranks of main destination markets for Chinese exports in the sector are led by Hong Kong, followed by India (9% out of the total and +59% in comparison with January-June 2009), Japan (7%, +29%), United States (5%, +20%) and Brazil (5%, +57%); Italy shows up back in 21st position, holding a 1.2% share, marking a 14% decrease with respect to the previous year (and thus diverging from the general trend).