China is to resume importing used cardboard, leaving Japanese paper manufacturers worried about the possible effects on materials prices, Nikkei reported. At the end of last year, the Chinese government decided to restart issuing new import licenses for used cardboard for the first time since the autumn of 2017, ending a measure that had caused a sharp decline in imports. Strong demand in China is likely to push up the prices of used paper in Japan, raising materials costs for Japanese paper manufacturers. At a New Year’s meeting of the Japan Paper Association on Jan. 9 in Tokyo, many of the senior papermaker executives in attendance expressed concern about the possible impact of China’s move. “I need to wait and see before making any comment” on the matter, said Fumio Manoshiro, president of Nippon Paper Industries, indicating that he was alert to the potential risks involved in Beijing’s policy decision. Already, some major Chinese papermakers have received new import licenses.
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