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. Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are the major suppliers of wood chips, with Vietnam accounting for over 50% of the imported supply.Seattle, USA. 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