On the evening of June 9, CCTV News reported that according to the latest statistics released by the China National Light Industry Council, in the first four months of this year, China’s light industry continued its recovery and showed positive momentum, providing important support for the stable development of the industrial economy. The light industry achieved operating revenues of nearly 7 trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.6%.

Reported on June 9 by "Xinwen Lianbo"

In the first four months of this year, the light industry achieved operating revenues of nearly 7 trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.6%. The value-added of light industry enterprises above designated size rose by 5.9% year-on-year. Among them, the value-added growth rates of manufacturing sectors such as papermaking, plastic products, and household appliances exceeded 10%. Of the 91 major light industrial products surveyed by the National Bureau of Statistics, the output of 71 products increased.

The consumer goods market in the light industry sector is experiencing steady growth. In the first four months, retail sales of 11 categories of light industrial products exceeded 2.4 trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.0%. The total export value of the entire light industry sector rose by 3.5% year-on-year.

The reporter from the Securities Daily learned that many companies and analysts are optimistic about the paper industry in the second half of the year. With growing demand for home appliances, home furnishings, and e-commerce in China, coupled with a recovery in the international consumer market, demand for paper products is expected to improve significantly.

Bohui Paper is actively adjusting its product mix to capitalize on the recovering demand both domestically and internationally. The company’s Jiangsu base is accelerating the construction of an 800,000-ton high-end packaging paper project. Meanwhile, the proportion of coated film products exported from its Shandong base has been increasing, and its new white kraft packaging paper—widely used in industries such as food and pharmaceuticals—is being rapidly expanded into new markets.

Wei Yongqing, the company’s secretary of the board, stated: “In the first quarter of this year, production and sales were affected by the Spring Festival and did not fully realize their potential. In the second quarter, we aim to achieve full production and full sales, actively seize market share, and enhance customer satisfaction. Currently, our product structure and quality are becoming increasingly stable, and future efforts will focus on further differentiating our products and boosting export volumes.”

Pang Fucheng, the secretary of the board at Sun Paper, also believes: “As we enter the second quarter, demand for cultural paper continues the strong momentum from the previous peak season. After we issued our price increase notice, the downstream market has shown good acceptance. Currently, the company’s cultural paper production lines are operating at full capacity and selling out completely, with orders coming in as usual. As bidding processes unfold, the overall outlook for the cultural paper market is expected to remain reasonably robust.”

Yueyang Linzhi Paper is also actively adjusting its product mix. As Yi Lankai, the company’s secretary of the board, explained: “From our perspective, many domestic paper manufacturers are optimizing and adjusting their product structures by increasing their offerings of high-margin, differentiated products, thereby enhancing their bargaining power in the market. Companies that combine innovation with scale feel more confident when raising prices in both domestic and international markets.”

Yi Lankai expressed an optimistic outlook on the paper market trend: “Overseas demand for paper products is recovering, with consumption picking up in regions such as Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Merchants are actively replenishing their inventories, particularly in the area of household paper products, where demand has surged. Moreover, recent intensifying geopolitical tensions have led to longer shipping cycles, further boosting overseas downstream businesses’ enthusiasm for restocking. For domestic paper manufacturers with export operations, now is precisely the peak sales season.”

Jiang Wenqiang, a light industry analyst at Guosheng Securities, said when analyzing the situation in specific sub-markets: “In the papermaking industry, several sub-sectors have already begun to send out positive signals. In particular, demand for packaging paper, corrugated paper, and paper-based films—used in e-commerce logistics and overseas exports—is on the rise. The underlying reason is that downstream industries such as home appliances, home furnishings, express delivery, and retail in China are experiencing a recovery in demand. At the same time, Chinese companies are setting up branch factories or offices overseas to meet expanding foreign demand, creating a synergistic positive pull effect.”

In the view of Zhu Sixiang, a researcher at Galaxy Futures: “Recently, several large-scale paper mills have announced price increase plans, with increases ranging from 20 yuan/ton to 70 yuan/ton. This will boost bullish sentiment in the market. We expect that starting from July, the domestic paper market will gradually shift from the off-season to the peak season, and end-user demand is likely to turn from weak to strong. Looking at the whole year, the domestic paper market is expected to follow a trend of first weakening and then strengthening.”