China | 23


OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK


China’s wood-based panels sector is looking towards the future with optimism. WBPI correspondent Eugene Gerden reports


Below: China’s wood-based panels sector is optimistic about the future PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK


T


he Chinese wood-based panels sector is optimistic about its future potential,


thanks to booming domestic production and good prospects for Chinese products in major export markets. According to data from the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, in 2024, despite challenges such as weak domestic demand and demographic pressures, China’s economy grew 5%, driven by stimulus measures, strong exports, and high-tech investment. That contributed to the growth


of most segments of the country’s industrial production, including wood-based panels. In fact, in recent years, China’s wood- based panel industry has experienced a period of rapid development and has become the world’s largest producer and consumer of board products. In terms of output, production has jumped from 6.2185 million m3


in 1994 to 337 million m3 in 2021


(According to the China Wood-based Panel Industry Report 2022, jointly released by China National Forest Products Industry


Association and the Industrial Development Planning Institute of National Forestry and Grassland Administration). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, production decreased by 287 million m3


completely recovered to pre-pandemic figures of about 370 million m3


annually in


2024. According to Wang Gaofeng, president of


Fenglin Group, one of China’s leading MDF producers, based in Guangxi (an autonomous region located in south China and bordering


www.wbpionline.com | February/March 2025 | WBPI


in 2022, however, it almost


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