China's xylene imports may have fallen from February as domestic players are currently saddled with high inventory amid weak demand, traders said on Monday.

Shutdowns of major aromatics plants in northeast Asia also contributed to the lower shipments of xylenes into China, which is a key import market in the region, they said.

From 79,526 tonnes of xylenes imported in February, China’s monthly imports may have dwindled to 60,000 tonnes in March, with the same volume expected in April, market sources said.

Among those that shut aromatics production for turnaround in the region was South Korean YNCC. Its No 2 aromatics facility in Yeosu was taken off line in March, with the restart date set on 20 April, a company source said.

The company's Yeosu facility can produce 120,000 tonnes/year of benzene; 60,000 tonnes/year of toluene and 40,000 tonnes/year of solvent xylene.

Another South Korean producer, Honam Petrochemical, had also conducted maintenance at its aromatics facility, also in Yeosu, on 1 March to 8 April. The facility can produce 180,000 tonnes/year of benzene, 84,000 tonnes/year of toluene and 60,000 tonnes/year of solvent xylene.

Buyers in the Chinese market, however, are keeping to the sidelines amid a seasonal lull in demand from downstream solvent sector, market sources said.

In eastern China, inventory of solvent grade and isomer grade xylenes are still currently high at 100,000-105,000 tonnes as of mid-April, much higher than the usual levels of 60,000-70,000 tonnes, market sources said.

Domestic solvent-grade prices in China were assessed at yuan (CNY) 8,975-9,000/tonne ($1,422-1,426/tonne) ex-tank Zhangjiagang on 13 April, while isomer-grade xylene prices were at CNY9,150/tonne ex-tank Zhangjiagang, according to Chemease, an ICIS service in China.

Prices have weakened in March, when solvent grade xylene prices shed CNY50-150/tonne, while isomer-grade xylene values eased by CNY50-200/tonne over the course of the month, the data showed.