China's total styrene exports in 2025 are projected to reach 310,790 metric tons, an increase of 62,850 metric tons compared to 2024, representing a growth rate of 25.35%. Specifically, China's styrene production capacity expanded from 9.748 million tons in 2019 to 24.013 million tons by 2025. This substantial increase in domestic capacity significantly boosted self-sufficiency rates. To alleviate temporary supply surpluses, domestic producers actively engaged in export negotiations to relieve some supply pressure.

Styrene exports primarily follow domestic-international price differentials. However, under high capacity conditions, regularized exports may serve as one avenue to absorb domestic overcapacity. While arbitrage windows between China and Europe/the US theoretically remained open for extended periods through 2025, transoceanic exports showed no significant improvement due to constraints like limited trading channels, poor industry profitability, and long-distance shipping costs. Nearly 90% of exports flowed to neighboring Asian countries. Simultaneously, intensifying international trade competition in recent years has made regional protectionism a significant obstacle for China's long-distance styrene exports. Overall, China's styrene exports still face considerable challenges, with long-distance shipping proving particularly difficult. This has resulted in an export pattern dominated by short-distance shipping, supplemented by long-distance routes.

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