China methanol imports in the first half of 2025

China's methanol imports in the first half of 2025 reached 5.377 million tons, a decrease of 925,300 tons or 14.7% year-on-year, data from China Customs showed.

From January to April 2025, the monthly import volume was lower than the same period last year, but in May and June, the volume exceeded the previous year's figures.

In the first half of 2025, the overall methanol plant operating rate outside China stood at 58% in average, down 7 percentage points from the same period last year. Methanol supplies from major production regions saw a decline to different degrees.

Middle East: Iran, a key methanol exporter, experienced gas restrictions in winter, and faced unplanned shutdowns of multiple plants in June due to the Iran-Israel conflict.

North America: The region was hit by a cold wave early in the year, disrupting US chemical facility operations, and in addition, several plants entered scheduled maintenance cycles.

Southeast Asia: Malaysia's major production facility continued to struggle with operational instability, resulting in significant fluctuations in operating rates.

South America: Insufficient natural gas supply persistently constrained production in countries like Chile.

In terms of the origins of imports, there was some change compared to the same periods of last year.

The US, New Zealand, Brunei, and Chile saw particularly sharp drops in methanol exports to China. Although these regions account for a relatively small share of China's total methanol imports, their limited production capacity makes export volumes more susceptible to operational disruptions.

US: Low operating rates due to the cold wave and scheduled plant maintenance earlier this year, compounded by escalating US-China trade tensions, led to a steep decline in methanol exports to China.

New Zealand & Chile: Gas supply shortages significantly reduced methanol plant utilization rate in both countries.

Brunei: Frequent unplanned plant shutdowns worsened production stability.

Middle East: The decline was primarily driven by reduced Iranian supply, affected not only by seasonal gas restrictions but also by widespread plant shutdowns in June due to the Iran-Israel conflict. Despite severe supply volatility, Iran remained China's top methanol import source.

But imports from Malaysia and Venezuela increased.

Malaysia: A new 1.8 million mt/yr methanol plant, commissioned in December 2024, significantly boosted exports to China.

Venezuela: Export volumes to China rose year-on-year as trade tariff disputes prompted adjustments in global supply flows, with more cargoes diverted to China.