Stable Price Trend of Aniline
                            By Qin Ling
The development of the chemical industry, the fine chemical  sector  in
particular, has led to an output growth of aniline  in  China  in  the
recent years. The output was 111 80 tons in 1995 and 112 400  tons  in
1996. The output reached 112 500 tons in 1997, hitting the  historical
record, a rise of 1.9 times over 1990 and  an  average  annual  growth
rate of 16.3% in these 7 years. The average annual growth rate reached
as high as 23.4% during the Eighth Five-year Plan period.  The  output
was 18 400 tons in January and February of 1998, a rise of 15.3%  over
the same period last year. The production presents a  sound  cycle  of
development.
There are a dozen aniline producers in China,  10  of  them  having  an
output of over 5 000 tons and 3 of them having an output  of  over  10
000 tons in 1996. Jilin Chemical Industrial Corporation is the biggest
aniline producer in China. Table 1 shows the output of  major  aniline
producers in China.
The import amount of aniline had some increase during the  Eighth  Five
-year Plan period. Table 2 shows the import and export  of  aniline  in
China in the recent years.
With the development of the  chemical  industry,   the  consumption  of
aniline has increased fast since 1990. The  apparent  consumption  was
102 200 tons in 1993, 122 400 tons in  1995,   being  the  highest  in
history, and around 116 700 tons in 1997.
Aniline in China is mainly used in the production of diphenyl  methanol
diisocyanate, dyestuff, rubber promoters and  antioxidants  and  other
chemicals. The consumption  accounts  for  31%  for  dipheny  methanol
diisocyanate, 17% for dyestuff, 23% for rubber auxiliaries,   14%  for
pharmaceuticals and 15% for others.
The total demand of aniline in China is expected to be 120 000 tons  in
1998.
The price of aniline in the domestic market was basically stable in 1997.
The market price of the first-grade product was 7 700 yuan per ton  in
January, 8 200 yuan per ton in May, 7 300 yuan per  ton  in  September
and 7 700 yuan per ton in December. The market price was  8  100  yuan
per ton in January of 1998, 7 300 yuan per ton in February and 7 100 -
7 200 yuan per ton in March and April. In spite of a  soft  demand  in
the chemical industry caused by the international market, the price of
aniline will not go down in the near term.
        Table 1   Output of Major Aniline Producers in China            ('000 t)
           Producer                               Output in 1995    Output in 1996
Jilin Chemical Industrial Corp.                         22.4            23.4
Lanzhou Chemical Industrial Corp.                       18.3            17.4
Nanjing Chemical Plant                                  12.0            13.5
Hebei Jizhong Chemical General Plant                     8.8             9.8
Henan Kaipu Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd.                7.8             9.3
Nanjing Sili Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd.               6.5             8.0
Nanjing Chemical Industrial (Group) Corp.                5.8             8.0
Yancheng Xinpu Huadong Co., Ltd.                         4.6             7.6
Chongqing Changxin Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd.         5.3             7.0
Ningbo Haili Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd.               1.8             5.2
Sichuan Dyestuff Plant                                   3.5             2.8
Table 2   Import and Export of Aniline
in China in the Recent Years    (t)
  Year      Import amount       Export amount
  1992          23 500
  1994                              1 426
  1995                              1 002
  1996           6 529                460
  1997           5 500              1 267