China's synthetic rubber production grows in May.

China's output of synthetic resin was 1.621 million tons in May, a 5% year-on-year rise. Of this, the output of polyvinyl chloride totaled 485,000 tons, growing by 17.1% over the same period of 2004, while that of polythene dropped by 4.4% and that of polypropylene only increased by 0.3%. Synthetic rubber scored a monthly record of 139,000 tons, up 13.1% and synthetic fiber output was 1.129 million tons, up 5.9%.

Statistics from China's Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association indicate that five main current synthetic resins suffered price cuts in May due to an unanimated domestic market. The price of polyvinyl chloride averaged 7,500 yuan (U.S. $906) per ton, down by 3.8% over that of April; that of low-pressure polythene stood at 11,550 yuan per ton, a decline of 0.9%; that of high-pressure polythene reached 12,400 yuan per ton, a drop of 8.1%; that of polypropylene averaged 11,500 yuan per ton; that of polystyrene reached 12,300 yuan per ton, decreasing by 4.7%; and that of ABS resin was 14,700 yuan per ton, falling by 8.1% month-on-month.