tpy ethylene cracker, the companies said in a statement. Several downstream facilities would be built as part of the deal, including a 650,000-tpy polyethylene plant, a 400,000-tpy polypropylene unit and a 1 million tpy aromatics plant. Polyethylene and polypropylene are commonly used to produce plastics, while aromatics are used as blending agents in the production of gasoline. The agreement also gives the foreign partners access to China's protected retail sector, where rivals such as Royal Dutch/Shell Group and France's Total are already active. "The retail portion is an important part of the project," Exxon chief executive Lee Raymond told reporters on the sidelines of the signing ceremony. "This is an integrated project in the sense of refining, chemicals and marketing, which makes it unusual."
