TRADE WAR, SHUTDOWNS IMPACT SUPPLY CHAINS – BRENNTAG CEO The US/China tracle war is having an impac t on regional supply chains, exacerbatecl by en­ vironmental shutclowns in the key Asia Pa­ cifie economy”. Speaking on the sidelines of the European Petrochemical Association meeting in Vien­ na, Brenn tag chief Steve Hollancl saicl that the trade war is starting to have a real impact on sentiment in Asia Pacifie, while the ongoing envi ro1mrnn tal slrn tdowns are altering China supply chains. “Clearly the trade war is a major concern for a lot of people in terms of wha t the future trading position will be with major partners like China. Three or four months ago there was a lot of rlrntoric abOL1t this but now I do detect a certain amount of nervousness in Asia Pacifie,” he said in a podcast interview with ICIS. Since the trade war began, China has been prioritising domestic product ion over pro­ duction for exports, he notecl. “From [talking to] a lot of Chinese people here it’s clear that environmental closures mean there are some 1mits slrnt which previ­ ously targeted production for exports . We supp01t these moves but it does have an effect on the overall s11ppl y chain.” He believes there is an important question over how much of China’s production will be 11secl for domestic purposes and how nrnch will be available for export. [ … ]