China Pledges Thai Rubber Imports Won’t Decrease in 2009

Global number one natural rubber consumer China has pledged it will import as much natural rubber from Thailand next year as it has in 2008, despite feeling the impact of the global economic slowdown. Thailand deputy minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Teerachai Saenkaew stated this on November 18, elaborating that he has discussed natural rubber cooperation during his recent meeting with China’s vice agricultural minister Niu Dun.

Mr. Saenkaew was told that, in 2009, China expects to purchase about 830,000 tonnes of rubber from the world’s largest producer and exporter of natural rubber. China’s pledge was made in the belief that its industries that utilise natural rubber will continue to grow, especially tyre manufacturing and related products. It is predicted that some seven to eight per cent industrial growth in the rubber consuming category will occur in China during 2009, a rate almost equal to the rate of national growth.