China imports 8.47 mln tons of paper pulp in 2007

Apr. 7, 2008 (China Knowledge) - China's paper pulp import amounted to 8.47 million tons in 2007, with a total value of US$5.55 billion, up 6.5% and 26.3% respectively over the previous year, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs.

The significant growth was mainly attributed to the surging demand from the domestic market as China has become the second largest consumer for paper products after the U.S. Besides, the shutting down of 1,562 small paper pulp workshops for environmental concerns in the first three quarters of last year had caused a 15% decrease in the paper pulp output in the country.

Canada, Chile, Russia, the United States and ASEAN members are the major suppliers of China's paper pulp. Last year, China imported 2.23 million tons of paper pulp from Canada, which accounting for 26.3% of China's total paper pulp imports.

The import price of paper pulp also rose by 18.7% to US$655 per ton due to the lumber price hike caused by a ban on lumber exports and restrictions to protect forest resources.