China´s chip needs the worlds largest

With recent pulpmill expansion, China has surpassed Japan to become the world’s largest importer of hardwood chips.

Major expansion of pulp manufacturing capacity in China the past five years has resulted in a dramatic increase in the importation of wood chips to supply the new pulp mills, and the country became the world’s largest importer of hardwood chips in the 2Q/13, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.

Growing demand for paper in China has not only forced the country to import large volumes of pulp to supply the country’s paper machines, but also resulted in investments in new pulp production within China.

Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd, APRIL, and Asia Pulp and Paper, APP, are procuring much of their wood fiber needs from out-of-country sources. As a consequence, importation of wood chips to China has surged the past few years.

In just five years, the import value for wood chips has increased from 180 million dollars in 2008 to 1,3 billion dollars in 2012, and this year the estimated import value could be close to 1,5 billion dollars, according the Wood Resource Quarterly.