On July 28, China's import demand for petrochemical products showed signs of slowing as domestic production ramped up and downstream profit margins compressed . Customs data for June-July indicated that imports of major petrochemicals, including ethylene, propylene, and PX, fell 5-8% year-on-year as new domestic capacity met a growing share of local demand . PX imports declined 6.5% year-on-year in July, reflecting the start-up of large new refining capacity in China . Ethylene imports dropped 8.2% as domestic production costs remained competitive relative to imported cargoes . The slowdown in import demand weighed on Asian petrochemical prices, with the PX-naphtha spread compressing to $450 per tonne from over $500 per tonne in May . Market participants noted that China's self-sufficiency ratio for petrochemicals has increased significantly, reducing the country's reliance on imports . However, high-end specialty chemicals continued to see robust import growth, driven by demand from the electric vehicle, electronics, and healthcare sectors . The changing trade flows are reshaping Asia's petrochemical landscape, with exporters from Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia increasingly looking to alternative markets to absorb their output .