U.S. exporters of food packaging materials, be forewarned

According to FoodProductionDaily.com, in Hainan, China, the Industrial Park project of Shiner International will get a sizeable infusion of cash from the Chinese government when it expands its packaging materials production capabilities. The idea is to put Chinese food producers in a position where they don’t need to rely so heavily on imports of food packaging materials. By 2013 Shiner says it expects to have capacity of 50,000 tons annually. Could this development negatively affect U.S.-based makers of packaging materials who export to China?