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The 2020 China Methanol Industry Conference was held in Ordos. Author/Source: China Nitrogen Fertilizer Network. Date: 2020-09-01. Clicks: 1. From August 19 to 21, 2020, the “2020 China Methanol Industry Conference” organized by the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association was held in Ordos. Approximately 130 participants attended the conference, including methanol producers from home and abroad, downstream users, companies involved in methanol trading, futures, technology, and equipment, as well as research institutions. The conference is supported by the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange, the Global Methanol Institute (MI), Messenics Corporation, Yankuang Group, and Aitam Fluid Control Technology Co., Ltd. Fu Xiangsheng, Vice President of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation; Gu Zongqin, President of the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association; Yu Xuanfeng, Deputy General Manager of the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange; and Lai Cunliang, Deputy General Manager of Yankuang Group attended the meeting, which was chaired by Wang Liqing, Secretary-General of the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association. Fu Xiangsheng, vice president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, delivered a speech at the conference. Fu Xiangsheng pointed out that China’s petrochemical industry withstood severe challenges in the first half of this year; starting from May, the economic performance of the entire industry continued to improve, and the overall situation was getting better. The methanol industry is an important sector of the national economy. For both the methanol industry and the modern coal chemical industry, four key aspects need to be given priority attention during the 14th Five-Year Plan period: first, on the basis of increasing efforts in original innovation and breakthroughs in core technologies, it is necessary to focus on improving integrated innovation as well as the level of technological support for industrial application. Secondly, it is necessary to deepen the development of the green manufacturing system, increase efforts to foster model enterprises and parks that practice green development, emphasize control at the source, clean production processes, and effective treatment at the end stage, thereby continuously raising the level of green development across the entire industry. Third, efforts should be made to focus on product differentiation and upgrading, particularly in the research, development, and production of new chemical materials and specialty chemicals that rely heavily on external inputs, so as to strengthen and complete the industrial chain and foster new advantages for the high-quality development of the methanol industry and modern coal chemical industry. Fourth, make every effort to build a supportive system for the petrochemical and modern coal chemical industries that is characterized by industrialization, park-based development, intensification, integration, complementarity, and synergy, with the aim of fostering a number of first-class petrochemical enterprises and industrial clusters with global competitiveness. Fu Xiangsheng hopes that through the in-depth exchanges and discussions at this methanol industry conference, enterprises in the country’s methanol sector will be able to develop new ideas, share new technologies, address new challenges, and achieve new breakthroughs, thereby contributing together to the high-quality development of the industry. Yu Xuanfeng, Deputy General Manager of the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange, and Yin Mingde, Deputy General Manager of Yankuang Group, delivered speeches at the meeting. Gu Zongqin, president of the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association, delivered a keynote speech titled “Braving Difficulties and Challenges, Striving Forward to Create a New Outlook for the Development of China’s Methanol Industry”. President Gu Zongqin covered three main aspects in his speech. First, he reviewed the operational characteristics of China’s methanol industry since 2019, analyzed the challenges faced by this industry, and suggested that the key focus for the future should be to find opportunities in difficulties and turn threats into advantages, in order to create a new outlook for the industry’s development. He pointed out that since 2019, the operation of China’s methanol industry has shown the following characteristics: First, positive progress has been made in industrial structure adjustment ； Second, advanced gasification technology plays a significant role in the main unit of mono-alcohol production facilities ； Third, market prices have continued to fall ； Fourth, the volume of imported methanol has increased significantly ； Fifth, the downstream consumer market faces challenges. President Gu suggested that currently, the development of the methanol industry both domestically and internationally is in a \"low-point\" phase; especially in China, many enterprises are struggling to survive, facing more severe difficulties and challenges than ever before. The challenges faced by the industry stem mainly from five aspects. First, low oil prices will become the norm ； Second, the scale of imports remains high ； Third, the task of achieving high-quality industrial development is urgent and arduous. He said that although our industry is currently facing many difficulties, risks, and challenges, we must turn crises into opportunities and create new prospects amid changes. The four basic characteristics and significant advantages of our country – namely, its strong economic potential, resilience, flexibility, and a wide range of policy tools – were fully demonstrated and proven during the fight against this pandemic. As the epidemic situation gradually improves, various economic indicators in our country are showing marginal improvements, and there are signs of an accelerated pace of economic recovery. He emphasized that the key focus for China’s methanol industry in the next phase is to turn challenges into opportunities and strive to create a new landscape for the industry’s development, which mainly involves the following five aspects: First, actively maintain the healthy and stable operation of the market ； Second, take multiple measures to expand domestic demand ； Third, persist in promoting innovation ； Fourth, safety and environmental protection must be given top priority ； Fifth, it is necessary to control production capacity and optimize the structure. The conference honored the “Top 20 Methanol Producers in China in 2019” as well as the “Advanced Enterprises in Energy Conservation within the Methanol Industry in 2019” (the list is provided at the end of the text). Sun Shaohua, secretary-general of the Methanol Branch of the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association, analyzed the performance of methanol in China since 2019, as well as the factors influencing the market and future development trends. In her report, she noted that in 2019, China’s methanol production capacity was 89.92 million tons, while the actual production volume was 69.97 million tons. Analyzing the current situation, the influence of crude oil and the international market will be inevitable in the future. Factors such as energy, security, environmental protection, and market conditions pose both challenges and incentives to the industry, contributing to its rational development and structural optimization. For the downstream consumer market, methanol-to-olefins represents a relatively stable form of consumption; in the future, traditional downstream applications are expected to improve, and the adoption of methanol as a fuel is also continuing to advance. After these difficult times, China’s methanol industry is sure to enjoy a healthier and more orderly future development. Experts from domestic and foreign organizations such as the Global Methanol Industry Association, Messines, China Coal Yulin Energy Chemicals, CNPC Research Institute, Aitam Fluid Control Technology Company, Clariant, Yankuang Guotuo, Collin, Tianjin Chuangju, Shanghai Huayi Energy Chemicals, the China Alcohol Ether Fuel and Alcohol Ether Clean Vehicles Professional Committee, the National Formaldehyde Industry Cooperation Group, Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange, MMSA, Inner Mongolia Yuanxing, Yankuang Supply and Marketing Company, and Anhaoyuan had in-depth discussions on various topics including new developments in the use of methanol at home and abroad, the international natural gas and methanol markets, acetic acid, methanol-based fuels, formaldehyde, safety and environmental management practices in manufacturing enterprises, new technologies for environmentally friendly methanol production, and methanol futures.