【Overseas News】Hungary Opposes Halting Russian Energy Imports; UPM Adhesives Gain Recognition; US Shoe Companies Warn of Potential Price Increase

International News Brief:

Raw Material News - Construction Halted on 25,000 Tons Per Year MXDA Production Facility! Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Makes Decision

Automotive News - Sesoco and Haozhi Power Win the 2025 Altair Enlighten Awards

Packaging News - OQ and Milliken Collaborate to Launch Injection Grade Transparent Copolymer, Empowering Sustainable High-Performance Packaging

Additive News - Huntsman Launches New Safer and More Sustainable ARALDITE® Epoxy Adhesive Product Range

Macronews - Brazil launches "Brazil Independence Plan" to support companies affected by US tariff increases.

Price Information - CFR Northeast Asia 850 USD/ton; CFR Southeast Asia 840 USD/ton

The following are details of international news:

UPM adhesive materials have been recognized by RecyClass for recycling in PET and HDPE.

UPM Adhesive Materials recently announced that its versatile release adhesive RW85C has received official recognition from RecyClass in both HDPE and PET recycling systems. This achievement signifies a significant step forward for UPM in promoting label materials that support plastic recycling and the development of a circular economy.

2. Technip Energies and Anellotech jointly launch commercialization of Plas-TCat plastic recycling technology.

Technip Energies and Anellotech are about to commercialize the Plas-TCat technology, an innovative catalytic cracking technology that converts plastic waste into high-value chemicals.

Two companies have recently completed a development project for Plas-TCat technology, which can directly convert mixed plastic waste into basic chemicals used for producing new plastics.

The cooperation between both parties aims to bring scalable, economically viable, and sustainable changes to global plastic waste management.

3. The construction of the 25,000-ton MXDA production facility has been suspended! Mitsubishi Gas Chemical has made this decision.

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC) announced that at the board meeting scheduled for September 17, 2025, it was decided to suspend the construction of the para-phenylenediamine (MXDA) production facility at its Dutch subsidiary, MGC Specialty Chemicals Netherlands B.V. (referred to as "MSCN"). The reasons for the suspension include construction delays, a significant increase in construction costs, and changes in the market environment.

Huntsman Launches New ARALDITE® Epoxy Adhesive Series That is Safer and More Sustainable

Huntsman's Advanced Materials division announces the launch of a new formulation of ARALDITE® epoxy.AdhesiveThe product series does not contain any intentionally added Bisphenol A (BPA) or substances classified as CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction) according to the EU CLP regulation.

OQ partners with Milliken to launch injection-molding grade transparent copolymers, empowering sustainable high-performance packaging.

The energy investment company OQ has partnered with the American plastic additives manufacturer Milliken to jointly launch a new transparent random copolymer product specifically designed for injection molding processes. Milliken stated that this new product, named Luban RP2251T, offers the advantages of high transparency, high energy efficiency, and shorter processing cycles. The plastic additives manufacturer added that this collaboration incorporates its Millad NX 8000 ECO clarifier into OQ's polypropylene formulation, enabling the production of...Thin-walled packaging Reusable products.

6. Sisuco and HaoSi Power win the 2025 Altair Enlighten Awards.

Leader in the Global Advanced Materials and Specialty Chemicals FieldSissoko(Syensqo) announced that its thermoplastic PPA motor oil guide ring and oil supply pipe, co-developed with HaoSi Power, won first place in the "Module Lightweighting" category at the prestigious 2025 Altair Enlighten Award. The Altair Enlighten Award is a top award in the automotive industry for lightweighting, specifically recognizing outstanding achievements in vehicle weight reduction and sustainable technology development.

7. Inventory depletion and looming tariffs! Multiple major footwear companies issue warnings.

Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported:

U.S. shoe companies warn: The inventory imported in advance to avoid Trump's tariffs has gradually been consumed, and shoe prices may face a new round of increases.

The buffer has run out, and high tariffs are starting to be directly passed onto the market, with women's shoes bearing the brunt.

In the coming year, shoe prices are likely to continue rising. Litigation and tax refunds are variables, but the premise is that tariffs remain unchanged and consumer demand does not significantly decline.

Key data (centralized): According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, footwear prices in August 2025 increased by 1.4% year-on-year, with women's shoes up by 2.8%.

The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) issued a warning: approximately 500 member companies collectively paid around $3 billion in tariffs in previous years, which may swell to $5 billion by 2025, an increase of nearly 67% (September 15, 2025).

GE Healthcare is considering selling its shares in its China business.

GE Healthcare is considering selling a stake in its China business. The company is currently in the early stages of exploring this option and has not yet made any final decisions on the timing or scale of any potential sale. The assets of its China business could be valued at several billion dollars.

GE Healthcare has approximately 7,000 employees in China, distributed across multiple R&D and manufacturing bases, with businesses covering areas such as imaging equipment and diagnostic drugs. According to GE Healthcare's annual report, its total sales revenue in China for 2024 reached $2.13 billion, making it GE Healthcare's third-largest market globally, following the United States and Europe.

Overseas macro market:

Hungary reiterates opposition to prematurely halting imports of Russian energy. According to CCTV News, Hungarian Energy Ministry official Oniko reiterated on the 18th local time at the EU Environment Council that Hungary opposes the premature cessation of imports of Russian fossil fuels without viable alternatives. A hasty reduction in energy imports from Russia would jeopardize the country's energy security. Oniko stated that Hungary is one of the few landlocked countries in the EU, and Hungary's position has always been guided by national energy security.

On September 18, the Brazilian government announced the launch of the "Brazil Sovereignty Program" to support companies affected by the U.S. tariffs. This program aims to help businesses enhance their competitiveness while stabilizing employment and supply chains. Starting immediately, Brazilian companies impacted by the U.S. imposition of a 50% tariff on Brazilian exports can apply for financing support under this program, which has a total budget of 40 billion reais and is managed by the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES). Affected companies must first confirm their eligibility on a special page of the BNDES website. Once certified, they can apply through their partner banks; large enterprises can also apply directly to the BNDES.

[The Bank of Japan holds steady for the fifth consecutive time and decides to start selling its ETF holdings] On Friday, the Bank of Japan passed the latest interest rate decision with a vote of 7 to 2, deciding to maintain the benchmark interest rate at 0.5%, in line with market expectations. The bank stated that the Japanese economy is in a state of moderate recovery, with overall trends in exports and production remaining stable, and inflation expectations rising moderately.

Unlike the previously unanimously passed resolution, this time the decision unexpectedly saw two votes in favor of an interest rate hike. Committee members Takeda Hajime and Tamura Naoki expressed dissent. Both believe that the interest rate should be raised by 25 basis points to 0.75%, as the risks of rising prices are increasingly skewed to the upside, and the central bank should move the policy rate slightly closer to the neutral rate.

The Bank of Japan simultaneously announced the initiation of ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) and J-REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) reductions, planning to sell approximately 330 billion yen of ETFs annually on the market and to sell J-REITs at a pace of about 5 billion yen per year. The bank added that once the divestment plan is officially implemented, the selling pace may be adjusted according to circumstances.

Price Information:

[CNY to USD Central Parity Rate]

The central parity rate of the RMB against the US dollar is reported at 7.1128, down 43 points; the previous trading day's central rate was 7.1085, the official closing price of the previous trading day was 7.1079, and the night session of the previous day closed at 7.1128.

[Upstream Raw Material USD Market Price]

Ethylene Asia: CFR Northeast Asia $850/ton; CFR Southeast Asia $840/ton.

Acrylic Northeast Asia: FOB Korea average price $770/ton; CFR China average price $805/ton.

The CIF price of North Asia frozen goods is $540-541/ton for propane and $556-557/ton for butane.

In October, the CIF price for South China frozen goods is as follows: propane $5-594/ton; butane $564-574/ton.

The landed price of frozen goods in Taiwan is propane at 540-541 USD/ton; butane at 556-557 USD/ton.

LLDPE USD Market Price

Film: $860-915/ton (CFR Huangpu)

Injection molding: $1050/ton (CFR Dongguan);

[HDPE USD Market Price]

Film: USD 910-980/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Hollow: 855 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Injection molding: USD 870/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipes: 1025 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu);

[LDPE USD Market Price]

Film: $1100-1115 per ton (CFR Huangpu);

Coating: $1280/ton (CFR Huangpu).

[PP USD Market Price]

Average: 855-920 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Co-polymer: 875-900 USD/ton (CFR Nansha);

Membrane material: $1030/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Transparent: $970-1050/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipe: $1,100/ton (CFR Shanghai).