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China turns to US for help as Iran war upends plastics industry (www.ft.com)

submitted 6 hours ago by Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org to c/worldnews@lemmy.sdf.org

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/53382745

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China’s desperation for raw materials to make plastics has driven US ethane exports to record levels, even as the two countries are locked in disputes over everything from Iran to semiconductors.

The Iran war has disrupted oil supplies around the world, leading to a shortage of the petrochemical feedstock naphtha, made from crude and produced in the Middle East.

The shortage has pushed refineries in China, the largest plastics manufacturer in the world, to import more ethane, a cheaper alternative and an abundant byproduct of US natural gas production, to help make everything from water bottles to car parts.

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[–] Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 4 hours ago

U.S. exports of ethane to China have been steadily rising since the outbreak of the pandemic, from less than 10,000 barrel per day at the beginning of the pandemic 2020 to well beyond 400,000 barrel per day now in 2026. And the Iran war gave it an additional boost as the article also says.