In May 2023, China exported 40kt of polyester yarn, down 22.4% year-on-year and 5.9% month-on-month. Among them, 19kt of single yarn, 12kt of ply yarn, and 10kt of polyester sewing thread sewing thread were exported. Total imports were 193 tons, down 20.4% year-on-year and 29.2% month-on-month. From January to May, the total export of polyester yarn was 192kt, down 13.2% year-on-year, and the cumulative decline expanded from the previous month. In terms of single month data, only April achieved positive year-on-year growth, and the rest of the month fell year-on-year.

Although the export volume of polyester yarn declined, that of polyester staple fiber and polyester filament increased significantly. In May, the export volume of uncombed PSF was 98kt tons, an increase of 8.8%, and the cumulative export volume from January to May was 504kt, an increase of 27%. In May, the export volume of polyester filament was 362kt, a new high for the year, up 21.5% year-on-year. The total export from January to May was 1.721 million tons, an increase of 31.0% compared with the same period last year.