Taiwan Cement Co (TCC) said it expects shipments to China to increase by double-digits this year due to strong infrastructure demand while domestic shipments are also forecast to advance.

Shipments to China are forecast to increase by 10-15 per cent this year from 39.7Mt in 2012 to 45-46Mt this year, the Tapei Times reported Taiwan Cement’s senior vice president Edward Huang saying during an investors conference. Closure of obsolete and backward cement capacity in China due to more stringent environmental requirements are also likely to benefit producers like Taiwan Cement, it added.

The company also expects sales in its domestic market of Taiwan, where it is market leader, to be slightly higher than the 8.6Mt recorded last year.

During the first half of the year, Taiwan Cement shipped 21Mt of cement to China and sold 4.3Mt in Taiwan. The company has a production capacity of 54.9Mta and 10.6Mta of cement capacity in China and Taiwan, respectively.