Mitsui chemicals × polyplastics join forces! china-asean mutual recognition standards; us and mexico agree to extend trade negotiation deadline

International News Brief:

Mitsui Chemicals and Polyplastics Announce Partnership to Collaborate on Marketing of Engineering Plastic Products

Car News - Europe's September Car Sales Grow 11% to 1.24 Million

Recycling News - The Cold and Hot of Chemical Recycling Projects: Increased Efforts in Darlington, UK and Delay in Austria's ReOil

Macroeconomic News-Mexican President says the United States agrees to extend the deadline for trade negotiations.

Price InformationThe central parity rate of the RMB against the USD is reported at 7.0856, an increase of 25 points.

The following is the detailed international news.：

Mitsui Chemicals and Polyplastics announced the establishment of a partnership in the marketing business of engineering plastic products.

October 27, 2025Mitsui ChemicalsMitsui Chemicals, Inc. (abbreviated as "Mitsui Chemicals") and the wholly-owned subsidiary of Daicel Corporation (abbreviated as "Daicel").PolyplasticsPolyplastics Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as "Polyplastics") announced that both parties have agreed on the development and sales by Mitsui Chemicals.Engineering PlasticsA cooperation agreement has been signed for the marketing business of products under the ARLEN® and AURUM® brands.

According to the agreement, starting from January 1, 2026, Mitsui Chemicals will entrust Polyplastics with part of the marketing operations for these products. Polyplastics will be fully responsible for customer engagement, new customer development, and technical support in marketing activities.

Arkema's Boreto site obtains ISCC PLUS certification, aiding the global low-carbon application upgrade of sustainable water-based resins.

Arkema's Boretto site in Italy has obtained ISCC PLUS certification, advancing mass balance sustainable water-based resins for global low-carbon applications. This milestone aligns with Arkema's broader mass balance roadmap, a strategic initiative aimed at promoting sustainable production and enhancing the environmental performance of its products. The certification allows for a reduction of up to 100% in the product carbon footprint (PCF) at the Boretto site, reinforcing Arkema's commitment to sustainability and supporting customers in transitioning to greener solutions across various markets.

3. The Cold and Heat of European Chemical Recycling Projects: UK's Darlington Increases Investment, Austria's ReOil Delayed

As Europe's chemical recycling policies and market environment continue to evolve, different companies have shown significant differentiation in their strategic layouts. Austrian petrochemical giant OMV recently announced the delay of its industrial expansion plan for the ReOil chemical recycling facility, while UK's Endolys plans to build a pyrolysis plant in Darlington, England, with an annual processing capacity of 120,000 tons of plastic waste. This illustrates the hot and cold alternating situation in the European chemical recycling industry amidst policy uncertainty.

4. Welcome EuMBC! Viracolor Masterbatches becomes a new member of the association.

The European Masterbatch and Compound Association (EuMBC) recently announced that Viracolor Masterbatches has joined the association as its newest member. Founded in 1991, Viracolor Masterbatches is one of Turkey's leading producers of color and additive masterbatches for the plastics industry. The company has nearly 30,000 square meters of production space across three factories located in Çerkezköy, Çorlu European Free Trade Zone, and Gaziantep, with an annual production capacity of over 35,000 tons.

SINGTEX® won the R&D 100 Award with its RePUra™ technology.

SINGTEX® Group, a global leader in high-performance and sustainable textile manufacturing, announced that its RePUra™ technology, developed through the Circu-Texfilm project, has won the Global Top 100 Technology R&D Award (R&D 100 Awards).

This groundbreaking technology represents the world’s first patented chemical "textile-to-textile" recycling solution for complex composite textiles, successfully addressing one of the most daunting challenges in the industry and opening a new chapter for the true circular utilization of textiles for global sustainable development.

In September, car sales in Europe increased by 11% to 1.24 million units.

According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, car sales in Europe increased by 11% to 1.24 million units in September. The number of car registrations in the EU rose by 10% year-on-year to 889,000 units in September. Tesla's new car registrations in the EU fell by 19% in September, while BYD's new car registrations in the EU increased by 272%.

China and ASEAN have, for the first time, agreed that when developing their own standards, they can consider referencing each other's standards and prioritize cooperation in standards for areas such as new energy vehicles and electronics.

The head of the International Department of the Ministry of Commerce interprets the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol. In the field of standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures, both parties have, for the first time, clarified that they may consider referring to each other's standards when formulating their own standards. They encourage mutual recognition of conformity assessment results, jointly formulate conformity assessment procedures, and prioritize standard cooperation in areas such as new energy vehicles, electronics, and electrical appliances. Enterprises from both sides are allowed to legally participate in the formulation of standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures and are granted national treatment. Leveraging the China-ASEAN Standardization Cooperation Forum initiated by China, both sides will further strengthen the institutionalization of their standard cooperation mechanisms. This will establish institutional safeguards for promoting the alignment of standards between both parties, provide convenience for enterprises to better expand regional markets, and promote the construction of a large regional integrated market.

Overseas Macro Market:

[International Energy Agency: Significant Decline in Russian Natural Gas Exports to Europe] The International Energy Agency released a report on October 27 stating that in the first three quarters of 2025, Russia's natural gas exports to Europe have significantly decreased, with liquefied natural gas exports down by 10% year-on-year and pipeline natural gas exports down by 45%.

[Mexican President Says U.S. Agrees to Extend Trade Talk Deadline] On October 27 local time, Mexican President Sheinbaum stated that U.S. President Trump has agreed to once again extend the deadline for reaching an agreement on trade, security, and immigration issues between the two countries. Sheinbaum said she had a very brief and friendly conversation with Trump last week, during which both parties agreed that their respective officials would continue working, and Trump would not impose additional tariffs. She stated that both sides agreed that progress was going very smoothly and also agreed to have dialogues in the coming weeks to strive for an agreement.

[China and ASEAN Sign Protocol for Upgrading to Version 3.0 of the Free Trade Area] According to Xinhua News Agency, on October 28 local time, China and ASEAN signed a protocol for upgrading to version 3.0 of the Free Trade Area in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The version 3.0 upgrade protocol, based on the existing China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), comprehensively expands mutually beneficial cooperation in emerging fields, strengthens integration and connectivity in standards and regulatory areas, and promotes regional trade facilitation and inclusive development.

[Malaysia Says Trade Agreement with the US Will Enhance the Country's Palm Oil Export Advantage] The Malaysian Palm Oil Council stated that under the latest trade agreement reached between the country's Prime Minister Anwar and US President Donald Trump, certain products will enjoy tariff exemptions, which will further enhance the market access advantage of Malaysian palm oil.

Price Information:

The central parity rate of the RMB against the USD is reported at 7.0856, up by 25 points; the previous trading day's central parity rate was 7.0881, the official closing price of the previous trading day was 7.1109, and the previous night's closing price was 7.1071.

[Upstream Raw Material US Dollar Market Price]

CFR Northeast Asia is steady at 765 USD/ton, CFR Southeast Asia is steady at 755 USD/ton.

The FOB Korea average price of propylene in Northeast Asia remains stable at $740/ton, and the CFR China average price remains stable at $760/ton.

North Asia CFR price: Propane $487-489/ton; Butane $523-525/ton.

The CFR price of frozen cargo in South China for November is $538-548 per ton for propane and $538-548 per ton for butane.

The CIF price in the Taiwan region is $487-489 per ton for propane and $523-525 per ton for butane.

[LLDPE Market Price in USD]

Film: $830-860/ton (CFR Huangpu)

Injection Molding: $935/ton (CFR Huangpu);

[HDPE USD Market Price]

Film: $860-900/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Injection molding: USD 820/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Hollow: $830-860/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipe material: USD 1010/ton (CFR Huangpu);

[LDPE USD Market Price]

Film: USD 1030-1050/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Coating: $1280/ton (CFR Huangpu).

[PP US Dollar Market Price]

Injection molding: $840-915/ton (CFR Huangpu).

Copolymer: 840-870 USD/ton (CFR Nansha);

Membrane material: USD 1015/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Transparent: 1035-1125 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipe: 1100 USD/ton (CFR Shanghai).