According to China Plastics Online, China's POM market experienced contrasting fortunes in imports and exports during December 2025. While monthly imports surged over 20% month-on-month, the annual cumulative import volume plunged 27.4% year-on-year, primarily due to reduced supply sources and high cost constraints. Simultaneously, the export market demonstrated robust performance, with annual cumulative exports climbing nearly 30% year-on-year. Overseas supply tightness opened growth opportunities for domestic enterprises. Both imports and exports are expected to decline in January as the market enters a phase of consolidation at elevated levels.

I. Overview of Import/Export Data

In December 2025, China's POM imports reached 22,000 metric tons, surging 21.44% month-on-month with an absolute increase of 3,900 metric tons. However, on an annual basis, cumulative imports for 2025 totaled only 288,000 metric tons, a significant year-on-year decrease of 27.40%, representing a reduction of 108,700 metric tons. On the export front, December shipments reached 3,900 metric tons, a 23.65% increase month-on-month. Cumulative annual exports totaled 37,800 metric tons, recording a 29.59% year-on-year increase, an additional 8,600 metric tons.

II. Influencing Factors

Regarding imports, December's POM imports saw a significant year-on-year decline of 40.21%. This was primarily influenced by Celanese's contract issues, which reduced supply from Saudi Arabia. Simultaneously, persistently high import costs continued to suppress import operations, leading to a gradual decrease in overall arrivals. Conversely, exports demonstrated robust growth in December, surging 51.11% year-on-year. This expansion was primarily driven by tight raw material supply in overseas markets, creating significant export opportunities for Chinese POM. Consequently, total exports achieved notable growth despite the maintenance season.

III. Import and Export Structure

3.1 Imports

3.1.1 Originating Countries

In China's POM import market for December 2025, supplies from Malaysia, Taiwan, China, the United States, Germany, and South Korea dominated. Statistics from major producing and trading countries show that combined imports from these five sources reached 18,100 metric tons, accounting for approximately 82.52% of the nation's total POM imports for the month.

3.1.2 Trade Modes

In December 2025, China's POM import trade structure was led by general trade, logistics goods from customs special supervision zones, and processing trade. These three primary modes collectively imported 21,800 metric tons, accounting for 99.28% of the month's total imports.

3.1.3 Registered Locations

In December 2025, China's POM import market exhibited high geographical concentration. Statistics indicate the top five importing provinces/municipalities were: Shanghai Municipality, Guangdong Province, Jiangsu Province, Fujian Province, and Zhejiang Province. These five key regions collectively imported 21,500 metric tons of POM, accounting for 97.97% of the national total—virtually the entire import volume.

3.2 Exports

3.2.1 Destination Countries

In December 2025, China's POM export market exhibited high concentration, primarily flowing to five countries: Turkey, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and India. These five major markets collectively exported 2,000 metric tons, accounting for approximately 50.47% of the nation's total POM exports for the month.

3.2.2 Trade Modes

In December 2025, China's POM export trade pattern remained relatively concentrated. By trade method, general trade, logistics goods from customs special supervision zones, and processing trade ranked as the top three, collectively forming the absolute majority of exports. The combined export volume of these three primary methods was approximately 38,000 metric tons, accounting for 98.03% of the total POM exports for the month. This reflects that the vast majority of export operations were primarily conducted through these three channels.

3.2.3 Registered Location

According to China's POM export data for December 2025, categorized by registered location, the top five export regions were Chongqing Municipality, Shanghai Municipality, Zhejiang Province, Hebei Province, and Jiangsu Province. Although export origins nationwide were relatively dispersed, the combined exports from these five key regions totaled approximately 3,000 metric tons, representing a high concentration of 75.79% of the national total.

IV. Trend Forecast

Market analysis indicates that both domestic POM imports and exports are expected to decline in January. Imports are projected to reach approximately 20,000 metric tons, a month-on-month decrease of about 9.01%. while exports are projected to hover around 3,500 tons, representing a month-on-month contraction of approximately 10.50%. This assessment is primarily based on two factors: First, despite entering the final pre-Spring Festival stockpiling window, sustained high import prices and persistent supply constraints will gradually dampen downstream demand for imported materials, leading to an overall decline in imports. Second, although domestic manufacturers have collectively raised

IV. Trend Forecast

Based on market analysis, both domestic POM imports and exports are projected to decline in January. Imports are expected to reach approximately 20,000 metric tons, representing a month-on-month decrease of about 9.01%. Exports are forecast to hover around 3,500 metric tons, marking a month-on-month contraction of roughly 10.50%. This assessment is primarily based on the following factors: On one hand, despite entering the final pre-Spring Festival stockpiling window, sustained high import prices and persistent supply constraints will gradually dampen downstream demand for imported materials, leading to an overall decline in imports. On the other hand, while domestic producers' collective price hikes have stimulated restocking by some market participants, end-users' inventory depletion remains sluggish. This will constrain overall procurement scale, leading to an expected contraction in export volumes.

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