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US
Dollar Exchange Rates of 31th Aug. 2006
China Yuan
7.953
Report from China
China¡¯s wood product trade surplus grows fourfold
The export value of China¡¯s wood products (notably processed products) surged 19.5% to $10.98 billion in the
first half of 2006, while the value of its imports (notably primary products) rose only 4.1% to $9.13 billion,
resulting in a trade surplus of $1.85 billion. This was drastically higher than the trade surplus of $422 million
achieved by China for the first time in the first half of
2005.
The import value of primary wood products, including paper pulp ($2.11 billion), logs ($1.92 billion), sawnwood
($804 million) and waste paper ($1.35 billion), continued to grow in the first half of 2006. The share of these
products of the total value of wood products rose to nearly
68%, from 62% in the first half of 2005. Meanwhile, the export value share of high added-value products, such as
wooden furniture, paper, paper board and paper products, wooden products and plywood rose to 78%, from 65% in
the first half of 2005. The export value of wooden
products accounted for 86.3% of the total export value of wood products, with non-wood products accounting for
the balance.
Flooring companies subject to US investigation
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is investigating 30 laminated floor panel producers from
China, Canada, Malaysia and within the US over possible violation of patents owned by Unilin Beheer BV of the
Netherlands. Seventeen of these panel companies are from China, which together account for over 60% of China¡¯s
total wooden floor production. The products comprise interlocking floor panels joined by tongue and groove
configuration.
The complaint was filed by Unilin Beheer B.V. of the Netherlands, Flooring Industries Ltd. of Ireland and Unilin
Flooring N.C. LLC of Thomasville, North Caroline on 1 July 1 2005. The plaintiffs requested Chinese flooring
companies not to sell these products within China or
abroad and pay $0.65 in patent fees per 1 m2 of floors and $100,000-120,000 in non-installment patent fees. Since
China exports 300 million m2 ($175 million) of laminated floors to the USA every year, this would result in $19.5
million in patent fees if China loses the lawsuit. The
average profit in China¡¯s flooring industry is said to be only 7 yuan ($0.88) per m2.
In an initial decision on 3 July 2006, ITC announced that part of China¡¯s flooring products did not infringe Unilin¡¯s
patent. This was immediately appealed by the plaintiffs. The deadline for determining whether the initial decision
should be reviewed was set for 25 September 2006.
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