DRAFT Report: China rubber imports up 24%

Beijing – Rubber, both natural and synthetic, has had the biggest increase among major commodities imported by China so far this year, according to Reuters.

Citing the country’s customs data, the Reuters report said 19 Sept, that combined natural and synthetic rubber imports were up 24.3% year-over-year at 4.45 million tonnes in the seven months to end of July.

Breaking down the figures, Reuters said China’s SR imports were up year-on-year 27.2% at 2.29 million tonnes in the first seven months of the year. Over the same period, NR imports grew 21.8% to 1.59 million tonnes compared to the previous year.

In comparison, China’s imports of crude oil were up 12.2%, coal up 14.2% and iron ore up 6.7% over the same period.