US tariff wall to hurt S-E Asia petrochemical players as excess products flood the region

[SINGAPORE] Petrochemical players in South-east Asia are bracing themselves for increasing competition, as the tariff-led breakdown of trade between the US and China creates a flood of petchem products into the region.

Brian Leonal, head of Asia petrochemical pricing at Argus, said: “There will be some challenges to the petrochemical industry in South-east Asia. The US and China will try to export products that they typically trade with each other to this region.

“There will certainly be meaningful reorganisation of trade flows coming from the trade tensions between China and the US.”