Exports of Japanese base paper to China in 2020 increased by almost seven times the level of the year before, data from the Japanese Paper Association (JPA) shows.
Between January and November 2020, exports of base paper from Japan reached 813,000 tonnes, which was double the year before and a new annual record.
Of this, Chinese exports represented 40% of the total, which was 6.6 times greater than in 2019.
JPA believes much of this demand has come as a result of Chinese manufacturers preparing for the ban on imports of all recycled paper grades from the start of this year.
The organisation also noted that it expects increased competition from Malaysia for paper and cardboard products.
Nine Dragons Paper is expanding its operations there, while its Chinese competitor Lee & Man also plans to increase its capacity in the country.
Japanese company Oji Holdings Corp intends to expand its production facilities for corrugated cardboard in Malaysia and begin commercial operation in April. The company has also opened cardboard mills in Cambodia and India and has operations in Thailand, Myanmar, Australia and New Zealand.
Oji Holdings has also announced a new mill producing 11 million metres squared of corrugated cardboard per month in Shirawascho, Japan. It is expected to begin operation in October 2022.
It also revealed in November plans to build a new corrugated container plant in Vietnam that will open in May 2022, which will be its sixth facility in the country. This will take its total in South East Asia, India and Oceania to 34.
