A key driver for the global rubber market is the Asia-Pacific region where demand is growing robustly, led by China, the world&#;s leading rubber consumer that is expected to account for nearly percent of total worldwide rubber consumption by (mostly used in its tire manufacturing industry). Meanwhile, strong growth in rubber consumption is also expected to occur in Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Thailand on the back of developing automotive industries in these countries.

Back at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center from to March , The th International Plastics & Rubber Technologies and Materials Exhibition for Vietnam organized by Informa Markets Vietnam in conjunction with Messe Düsseldorf Asia promises to provide a potential trading platform for plastic and rubber manufacturers and processors to introduce products, build brand image, expand new cooperation opportunities as well as identify economic potentials in the market of Vietnam.

As the second-largest rubber producer, Indonesia supplies a substantial amount of rubber to the global market. Since the s, the Indonesian rubber industry has been experiencing steady production growth. Most of the country&#;s rubber output &#; approximately percent &#; is produced by smallholder farmers. Government and private estates thus play a minor role in the domestic rubber industry.

Another problem was that the USA removed Indonesian-made tires from its generalized system of preference. This US program was designed to support developing countries by cutting import duties and taxes for about products from countries. Indonesian-made tires were removed from the list as the USA believes that Indonesia’s tire industry is already sufficiently competitive. This means that tire exports to the USA are now subject to a five percent import tax.

Being the world&#;s largest rubber importer, policies in China can have far-reaching effects on the global rubber industry. In late the government of China decided to approve a new standard for compound rubber imports. The permitted crude rubber content in imported compound rubber was cut from -. percent to percent, implying that compound rubber imports into China became subject to a percent import duty (the same tariff as natural rubber import duties). China’s new policy is a blow to its rubber suppliers in Indonesia as it results in declining usage of compound rubber in the world’s second-largest economy.