China's Imported Timber Stock UpThe stock of imported timber in China has soared to over one million cu m, as the size of these imports have increased dramatically, according to customs sources.China's foreign trade companies began importing timber in December 1998, when China began to implement a ban on logging in many national forests. Overall imports in 1999 grew at the remarkable rate of 18.2 percent, the highest growth since 1994, at a total worth of US$165.8 billion. The entry port of Shenzhen handled 241,200 cu m of timber imports in the first four months this year, up 50 percent from the same period last year, while 49 new foreign companies joined in the business of timber imports during the period. Insiders note that rising imports of high-quality timber materials was fanned by the booming real estate market and the upholstering business. Simple varieties of traditional upholstering timber materials, such as miscellaneous timbers and pine wood, no long satisfy the domestic market. Shenzhen Customs imported 41,200 cu m of beech logs in the first four months this year, compared with 15,100 cu m for the corresponding period of last year. Customs officials also attribute rising timber imports to the inauguration of policy to develop western China. "Foreign trading companies have foreseen the large demand for timber for mammoth infrastructure construction projects," said one analyst. However, the big leap in timber imports has already created stockpiles, and some experts warn that it will take 6 to 10 months for the domestic market to consume the inventory. |
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