News Express ：

▲National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has released the survey on the performance of chemical industry for July. The value added for chemical industry increased by 3.2% compared with last year, and the growth rate increased by 1.1%. Of the major products manufactured, SR increased by 6.3%, synthetic fiber increased by 13.1%, and rubber tires increased by 3.3%. The value added for chemical industry increased by 3.6% from January to July, but the growth rate dropped by 0.6%. The output of SR reached 3,170,000 tons, increasing by 8.2%; synthetic fiber reached 25,930,000 tons, increased by 8.3%; rubber tires reached 511,320,000 units.

▲According to the statistics on 23 major rubber machinery manufacturers in China in the first half of 2018 by China Chemical Industrial Equipment Association, the sales volume in the first half of 2018 reached RMB 3,156,000,000 yuan, decreasing by 9.4% compared with last year. By this calculation, the sales volume in the first half of the national rubber machinery industry reached RMB 4,210,000,000 yuan, decreasing by 9.5% compared with last year.

▲According to the General Administration of Customs of China, NR (including latex) imports for July 2018 reached 207,100 tons, increasing by 41.82% compared with last year. From July to August, the traditional demand for rubber in the downstream market was weak, and the continuous depreciation of RMB increased the import cost of natural rubber. As a result, the intention of domestic merchants to replenish supplies was weakened, so China's natural rubber imports in July declined in a narrow range from the previous month.

▲It’s said Jiangsu Xingda Steel Tyre Cord Co., Ltd. is prepared to increase capital by RMB 1,000,000,000 yuan on a new special steel rope project, of which foreign capital accounts for RMB 695,000,000 yuan. 

▲The Fifth China International New Material Industry Expo concluded on Sept 8. The ETPU micro-hole popcorn bead super elastic material developed by Harbin Engineering University has attracted wide attention in the industry. It’s said this kind of material can be applied in tires to raise the safety and flexibility greatly. After the ETPU material is pretreated with pressure heating, each TPU particle expands like popcorn. This material was first developed and launched by Germany BASF SE.