RIYADH: Saudi Basic Industries Corp. has announced the start of pre-commissioning activities at its China plant in partnership with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., Sinopec. The previously announced 50-50 joint venture aims to form a $1.7-billion polycarbonate complex in Tianjin, according to a bourse statement. Today, SABIC said the project’s pre-operational activities have commenced with an annual capacity of 260 thousand tons, adding that the financial impact will be reflected upon the start of operations. Polycarbonate is necessary for producing automotive spare parts and CDs and is also used in the manufacture of other consumer products.