Trade Intelligence

In-depth guides covering the full scope of China chemical sourcing: IMDG dangerous goods compliance, landed cost calculations, factory quality control, Incoterms, and import documentation. These are not generic trade guides. They are written by people who negotiate factory contracts in Mandarin, prepare IMDG documentation packages, and track containers from Shanghai to Rotterdam, Houston, Sydney, and beyond.

Featured

Logistics

Freight Rates Just Hit a 2-Year Low, CMA CGM Is Back in the Suez, and China's Trade Surplus Topped $1 Trillion. December 2025 China Trade Statistics Breakdown for US Importers

Drewry WCI at $2,213/FEU, CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin back through Suez, and a $1.08T China trade surplus through November. Here's what the December 2025 numbers mean for your chemical landed costs in Q1 2026.

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Tariffs & Trade 10 min read

USTR Just Launched Two New Section 301 Investigations Targeting China. Why "Structural Excess Capacity" and "Forced Labor" Probes Could Bring a Whole New Tariff Wave for Chemical Importers

USTR opened twin Section 301 investigations on 11 to 13 March 2026, one into structural excess capacity across 16 countries and one into forced labour practices across 58 countries. Public comments are due 15 April, hearings 28 April. Here is what chemical importers of MDI, TDI and specialty intermediates need to do now.

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Sourcing 10 min read

China's April 2025 Rare Earth Export Controls Are Still Fully Active One Year Later. A 2026 Sourcing Guide for US Importers of Catalysts, Magnets, and Specialty Metal Compounds

One year after MOFCOM Announcement No. 18, China's April 2025 rare earth export controls remain fully active. Samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium still need licences. Here is the sourcing playbook for US catalyst, magnet and specialty metal buyers in 2026.

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Tariffs & Trade 10 min read

The Legal Challenge to IEEPA Tariffs Is Headed to the Supreme Court. Why US Chemical Importers Should Start Modeling a Post-IEEPA Tariff World Right Now

Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump is headed for SCOTUS review in 2026. $166 billion has been collected from 330,000+ businesses on IEEPA-authorised tariffs. If SCOTUS rules IEEPA does not authorise tariffs, $175 billion in refunds opens. Here's how chemical importers should model the scenarios.

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Compliance 10 min read

China's New Silver Export Controls Took Effect January 1. Which Chemical Processes and Industrial Raw Materials Are Affected and How to Source Alternatives

MOFCOM's silver export control package took effect January 1, 2026. Silver feeds chemical catalysts, electronic paste, photovoltaic cells, brazing alloys, and antimicrobial compounds. Here's the affected process map plus a Mexico, Peru, and Poland alternative sourcing matrix for US chemical importers.

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Finance 10 min read

Shanghai-to-LA Spot Rates Just Dropped Below $2,500, A Practical Guide to Negotiating 2026 Chemical Freight Contracts at the Bottom of the Market

Late December 2025: Drewry WCI is at USD 2,213 per FEU, Shanghai to USWC spot sits at USD 2,474. The global fleet grew 16 per cent in two years with 9 million TEU of newbuilds scheduled for 2026. Carriers pushed GRIs on 1 December and couldn't make them stick. Here's how to negotiate chemical freight contracts at the bottom of the cycle and lock in 2026 rates that hold.

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Sourcing 10 min read

China's 2025 Trade Surplus Just Crossed $1 Trillion Through November, Why GACC Data Shows Chinese Chemical Exporters Are Pivoting Away from the US

GACC November data pushed China's January to November 2025 trade surplus to USD 1.08 trillion, up 22.1 per cent year on year. US bound exports are down 28 per cent, ASEAN is up 13 per cent, Africa 26 per cent, EU 8 per cent. For Australian chemical importers, this is the clearest signal yet that Chinese supplier priorities have fundamentally shifted. Here's what that means for your 2026 sourcing decisions.

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Logistics 10 min read

CMA CGM Just Sent a Mega-Ship Through the Suez for the First Time Since 2023, What the Red Sea Reopening Means for Chemical Freight Rates and Dangerous Goods Routing in 2026

Late December 2025 saw CMA CGM's 17,859 TEU Benjamin Franklin complete the first mega-ship transit of the Suez Canal since the Houthi crisis began. The Suez Canal Authority logged 229 vessel transits in October, the highest since the crisis, but most major carriers are still routing via Cape of Good Hope. Here's what that split market means for your 2026 chemical freight budget and your IMDG hazmat routing.

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Compliance 10 min read

EPA's New PFAS Reporting Rule Just Gave Chemical Importers an $800 Million Break, How the 0.1% De Minimis Threshold Changes Your Compliance Costs

On 10 November 2025 the EPA proposed amendments to TSCA Section 8(a)(7) that introduce a 0.1 per cent de minimis threshold for PFAS in mixtures and exempt most imported articles. Here's what the $786 to $843 million compliance saving looks like for an Australian importer moving fluoropolymers, surfactants, and coated articles into the US market.

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Compliance 10 min read

3 New US Defense Companies Just Landed on China's Dual-Use Export Control List. How to Check If Your Chemical Supplier's Parent Company Is Blacklisted

On 25 September 2025, MOFCOM added Huntington Ingalls, Planate Management Group and Global Dimensions to China's Dual-Use Export Control List. For US chemical importers, the risk is suppliers in China with defence-adjacent corporate parents. Here is the step-by-step corporate structure check you need before your next purchase order.

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Finance 10 min read

Container Rates Are Crashing from Peak. Why US Chemical Importers Should Lock In Q4 Freight Contracts Right Now Before Carriers Blank More Sailings

Container rates peaked mid-2025 at $4,716 per FEU and began collapsing in September. By November, Shanghai to USWC spot had fallen to $1,950-$2,650 per FEU. The global container fleet expanded 10 percent in 2024 to 31 million TEUs, and carriers are responding with aggressive blank sailings. Here is why Q4 is your contracting window.

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Compliance 10 min read

EPA Wants to Rewrite TSCA Risk Evaluations. What the Proposed September 2025 Rule Changes Mean for US Chemical Importers Who Source from China

EPA's September 2025 proposed amendments to the TSCA Section 6 Risk Evaluation Framework Rule would shift from chemical-wide to use-specific evaluations. Comment period closed 7 November. Since January, EPA has pursued 115 TSCA enforcement actions and assessed around $4.3 million in penalties. Here is what it means for importers sourcing chemicals from China.

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Compliance 10 min read

IMDG Amendment 42-24 Goes Mandatory January 1. A Compliance Checklist for US Importers Shipping Dangerous Goods and Chemicals from China

IMO Resolution MSC.556(108) locks in IMDG 42-24 on 1 January 2026. Over 300 changes hit chemical importers: new UN numbers for sodium-ion batteries, deleted Special Provision 925, on-deck stowage for lithium, plus a $250/container DG surcharge from Hapag-Lloyd. Here is the checklist you need before your next booking.

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Sourcing 10 min read

Your China Factory Might Not Be There Next Quarter. How to Run a Factory Verification Audit When Chinese Chemical Suppliers Are Shutting Down Around You

US audit demand in China fell 18% YoY in Q1 2026 per QIMA, April PMI sat at 49.0 with export orders at 44.7, and smaller chemical intermediary factories across Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu are consolidating or closing. Here is how to run a factory verification audit that catches the risk in time.

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Tariffs & Trade 12 min read

Steel and Aluminum Just Hit 50% Under Section 232 and LA Had Its Busiest June Ever. What the June 3 Tariff Hike Means for Chemical Equipment and Metal-Based Raw Material Landed Costs

The June 4 Section 232 hike doubled steel and aluminum duties to 50%, and June throughput at Port of LA smashed 117-year records. Here's how it moves chemical equipment and metal-substrate raw material landed costs for Australian importers sourcing through US supply chains.

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Tariffs & Trade 12 min read

The 10% IEEPA Fentanyl Tariff Is Live and China Hit Back with Tungsten, Tellurium, and Bismuth Controls. What February 4 Means for Your Chemical Landed Costs

Executive Order 14195 imposed a 10 per cent ad valorem IEEPA duty on every Chinese-origin import effective 4 February. Inside the same 24 hours, MOFCOM Announcement No. 10 added tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum, and indium to the export licence regime. Here's what that stack actually does to your landed cost and your Q2 supply book.

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Tariffs & Trade 12 min read

US Ports Just Logged 2.49 Million TEUs in January. How to Front-Load Chemical Orders Before the February 4 IEEPA Tariff Hits

January 2025 container imports broke the all-time monthly record at 2.49 million TEUs as buyers raced to beat the 4 February IEEPA fentanyl tariff. Wells Fargo clocked a 20 to 25 per cent invoice spike on Chinese supplier quotes inside a fortnight. Here's the front-loading maths on chemical pre-shipment inventory, and how to run the ROI call on every tonne still sitting at Ningbo.

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Tariffs & Trade 12 min read

The EU Just Hit Chinese EVs with 38% Provisional Tariffs. Why the EU-China Trade War Expansion Is a Direct Problem for US Chemical Importers Sourcing Shared Inputs

Brussels dropped provisional anti-dumping duties of 17 to 38 per cent on Chinese electric vehicles on 12 June, and Beijing opened retaliation files on EU dairy, pork, and spirits within 72 hours. The collateral damage for US chemical importers runs through shared Chinese production lines, and the price and capacity squeeze starts the moment the 4 July duties bite.

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Tariffs & Trade 12 min read

Biden Just Raised Section 301 Tariffs on $18 Billion of Chinese Goods, What the New Rates on Battery Materials, Chemicals, and Industrial Products Mean for Your Landed Costs

The USTR announced Section 301 tariff increases on 14 May that push EV duties to 100%, lithium batteries to 25%, solar cells to 50%, and medical syringes to 50% effective 1 August. Here's what's moving, what's not, and what it does to your chemical and battery-material landed costs line by line.

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Sourcing 12 min read

GACC's March 2024 Data Shows China's Exports Surged 7.4%, But Chemical Import Volumes to the US Are Still Falling: Here's Why Factory Capacity Is Shifting

China's General Administration of Customs reported March 2024 exports up 7.4% year-on-year, but the US-bound chemical numbers tell a different story. Here's why Chinese factories are redirecting volume to Europe and ASEAN, what it means for your supplier relationships, and how to read the divergence in your next sourcing decision.

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Supply Chain 12 min read

Chinese New Year Shut Down Factories for 2 Weeks, How the February 2024 Production Pause Is Compounding Red Sea Delays on Chemical Shipments

This is the first Chinese New Year in four years that has collided with a live global shipping crisis. Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong factories closed 7 to 18 February while Red Sea rerouting kept piling on transit days. Combined lead times have stretched to 8 to 10 weeks. Here is what it means for your Q2.

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Logistics 12 min read

90% of Container Ships Are Now Avoiding the Red Sea, What the Houthi Crisis Is Costing Chemical Importers in Extra Freight, Insurance, and Lead Time Right Now

Three weeks into 2024 and more than nine in ten container ships have abandoned the Suez route. The Drewry index has more than doubled, war-risk premiums have spiked, and chemical importers are rewriting Q1 landed cost models on the fly. Here is the current state of play and the numbers you need.

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Tariffs & Trade 13 min read

Biden and Xi Just Met at APEC in San Francisco: What the "Woodside Agreement" Actually Delivers for US Chemical Importers Still Paying 25% Section 301 Tariffs

The November 15-16 2023 Biden-Xi summit at Filoli Estate in Woodside, California produced a restored military-to-military hotline, fentanyl precursor cooperation, and an AI safety dialogue. It did not produce any Section 301 tariff relief. Here is what the Woodside agreement really means for US chemical importers still paying 25% on List 3 and List 4A HS lines out of China.

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Logistics 13 min read

Hamas Attacked Israel and Houthi Drones Are Now Targeting Red Sea Shipping: What This Means for Chemical Freight Rates and Dangerous Goods Routing from China

Following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the first Houthi missile and drone strikes at Red Sea shipping from October 19, war-risk insurance premiums on Bab el-Mandeb transits are spiking and chemical importers routing through Suez have started contingency planning for a Cape of Good Hope diversion. Here is what that realistically adds to your IMDG landed cost and how to decide when to pull the trigger.

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Compliance 13 min read

China Just Announced Graphite Export Controls Starting December 1: What Battery Chemical and Carbon Material Importers Need to Do in the Next 90 Days

On September 21 2023, MOFCOM and GACC gazetted export licence requirements for natural flake graphite, spherical graphite, and high-purity synthetic graphite effective December 1. With China producing 65% of natural and around 90% of synthetic graphite globally, every battery anode buyer, carbon brush OEM, and refractory importer has a ninety-day window to lock in coverage. Here is how to work that window.

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Logistics 13 min read

Panama Canal Restrictions Just Got Tighter. Why Chemical Tankers and Bulk Carriers Now Face 3-Week Delays and What It's Doing to Your Landed Costs

The Panama Canal Authority cut daily transits from 36 to 24 through November 2023 and dropped draft limits to 44 feet, shaving 20 to 40% off chemical tanker payloads. Queues above 130 vessels and demurrage at $2,000 to $4,000 per day are now a weekly occurrence. Here is how the Gatun Lake drought is reshaping chemical flows, the routing alternatives, and the landed cost arithmetic you need before year end.

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Compliance 13 min read

China Just Banned Gallium and Germanium Exports Without a License. Every US Chemical Importer Who Uses LED Chemicals or Specialty Coatings Needs to Read This Now

China's Ministry of Commerce announced gallium and germanium export controls on 3 July 2023, effective 1 August, requiring a licence for every outbound shipment. China supplies roughly 80% of world gallium and 60% of world germanium. LED precursors, fibre-optic glass, solar cells, and specialty coatings are all in the blast zone. Here is the licence timeline, the alternative-source maths, and the landed cost repricing you need this quarter.

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Tariffs & Trade 12 min read

Blinken Just Became the First Secretary of State to Visit Beijing Since 2018. What the Diplomatic Reset Means for Section 301 Exclusion Extensions on Chemical HS Codes

Secretary Blinken landed in Beijing on 18 June 2023 for the first US State Department visit in five years, and USTR followed by extending 352 Section 301 exclusions through 31 December 2023. Several chemical intermediates made the list. Here is how to read the extension schedule against your HS codes, the duty arithmetic on adipic acid and citric acid, and the filing windows that matter before year end.

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Compliance 12 min read

A Chinese Spy Balloon Just Froze US-China Relations. How the February 4 Diplomatic Crisis Is Already Affecting Chemical Import Approvals and Export License Processing

An F-22 put a missile into a Chinese surveillance balloon off South Carolina on 4 February, Blinken binned his Beijing trip, and inside a week CBP and EPA were quietly slow-walking Chinese-origin chemical entries. Here's what's happening to TSCA Section 5 PMN timelines, how import clearances are lengthening, and how to rebuild your landed cost and lead-time model for this new friction.

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Supply Chain 12 min read

China Fully Reopened but the COVID Wave Is Devastating Chemical Factories. What the January 2023 GACC Data and Production Reality on the Ground Actually Mean

GACC's 13 January release showed FY2022 exports up 7 per cent to USD 3.59 trillion, but December alone dropped 9.9 per cent. That gap is the COVID wave hitting Jiangsu, Shandong, and Zhejiang chemical hubs. Here's how to read the data, model your February landed costs, and replan Q1 orders against a production base that's still suppressed.

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Supply Chain 12 min read

China Just Ended Zero-COVID. What the Abrupt December 7 Policy Reversal Means for Chemical Factory Restarts and Q1 2023 Order Planning

Beijing ripped up the zero-COVID playbook overnight on 7 December, and within a fortnight Jiangsu and Shandong chemical parks were running on 40 to 60 per cent crews. Here's the brutal maths on what that does to your Q1 2023 landed cost and delivery windows, and how you plan orders through a reopening that actually collapses production before it recovers it.

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Supply Chain 13 min read

Chinese Cities Are Protesting Zero-COVID and Factory Production Is Unpredictable: How to Stress-Test Your Chemical Supplier's Operational Continuity Right Now

Protests swept Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Ürümqi in late November 2022 after a deadly fire in Xinjiang on 24 November, and Foxconn Zhengzhou's worker riot earlier in the month had already shut a major production line. Chinese chemical factories are alternating between open and closed week by week. Here is the stress-test framework, the second-source playbook, and the Vietnam, Malaysia, and India routing maths you need before year end.

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Regulation & Compliance 13 min read

Biden's October 7 Semiconductor Export Controls Are the Biggest Chemical Precursor Threat You Haven't Heard About

On 7 October 2022 the Bureau of Industry and Security published sweeping export controls on advanced semiconductor technology to China. Buried in the rule are restrictions and downstream effects on photoresists, CMP slurries, high-purity solvents, wet etchants, and specialty electronic gases including NF3 and WF6. Chemical importers exposed to semiconductor-adjacent product lines need to read the fine print now.

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Logistics 13 min read

The FMC Is Investigating Carrier Surcharges: How to Audit Every Detention, Demurrage, and Accessorial Fee on Your Chemical Shipments from China

The Federal Maritime Commission opened a wave of carrier investigations through September 2022 under the Ocean Shipping Reform Act signed 16 June. Detention, demurrage, chassis fees, peak season surcharges, and GRIs are all under scrutiny. Here is how to audit every invoice from 2021 and 2022, recover wrongful charges, and file a formal charge complaint under 46 CFR 545.5.

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Supply Chain 12 min read

Pelosi Visited Taiwan and China Launched Military Exercises: What the August 2022 Strait Crisis Means for Chemical Supply Chain Risk Planning

Speaker Pelosi landed in Taipei on 2 August 2022 and within 48 hours the PLA had cordoned off six live-fire zones around Taiwan. The Taiwan Strait carries roughly half the world's container tonnage. Here is what the crisis did to chemical lanes, Kaohsiung traffic, war-risk premiums, and prepayment terms, plus the contingency plan you should have drafted already.

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Logistics 12 min read

Container Freight Rates Are Crashing 40% From Peak: Why Chemical Importers Who Locked in Long-Term Contracts Are Getting Hammered Right Now

The Drewry World Container Index is down more than 40% from its September 2021 peak. Spot Shanghai to LA has crashed to roughly USD 7,000 per FEU from north of USD 12,000. But shippers who signed 12 to 24 month contracts in late 2021 are paying two to three times spot. Here's how to renegotiate, walk away, or plan your 2023 tender.

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Regulation & Compliance 13 min read

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Just Passed the Senate 100-0: What US Importers of Chinese Raw Materials Need to Know Before It Takes Effect

The UFLPA passed the US Senate unanimously on July 14, 2021, and the companion House bill is moving in November. It establishes a rebuttable presumption that any goods with a Xinjiang nexus are made with forced labour. PVC, polysilicon-linked chemistries, chlor-alkali feedstocks and coal-derived chemicals are all in scope. Here is what chemical importers need to do now.

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Logistics 13 min read

100 Ships Anchored Off SoCal and Your Chemical Orders Are Sitting on a Vessel That Can't Berth: A Practical Guide to Port Congestion Survival

Mid-October 2021 saw more than 100 container ships at anchor off Los Angeles and Long Beach, the White House announce 24/7 operations, and terminals threaten dwell fees on lingering containers. Here is the practical guide for chemical importers: pull forward, divert to Oakland, Tacoma, Prince Rupert or the Gulf, renegotiate Incoterms, and cap your demurrage exposure.

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Supply Chain 12 min read

China's Power Rationing Crisis Just Shut Down Chemical Factories Across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong: Is Your Supplier Still Running?

September 2021 saw dual-control energy policy enforcement cut industrial electricity across 20+ Chinese provinces. Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong chemical parks stopped production for days or weeks. Urea, PVC, caustic soda, magnesium, silicon metal and yellow phosphorus prices spiked. Here is how to verify your supplier is actually running.

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Logistics 12 min read

40 Ships Are Waiting Off Los Angeles: How the Port Congestion Crisis Is Stacking 45-Day Delays on Top of Your Chinese Chemical Shipment Lead Times

August 2021 saw more than 40 container vessels at anchor in San Pedro Bay, wait times of 10 to 14 days before berthing, and chemical cargo stuck in the yard. Combined with Yangshan, Ningbo, and the Yantian backlog, door-to-door lead times from China blew out past 12 weeks. Here is the real cost breakdown.

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Regulation & Compliance 13 min read

Biden's Supply Chain Review Report Is Out: What the June 8 Critical Minerals and Specialty Chemical Findings Mean for US Importers Dependent on China

The White House released its 250-page 100-day supply chain review on 8 June 2021, covering semiconductors, batteries, critical minerals, and pharmaceuticals. Rare earths, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and APIs flagged as catastrophic China dependencies. Here's what it actually means for chemical importers and why short-term relief isn't coming.

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Markets & Pricing 13 min read

G7 Is Launching a $40 Trillion Infrastructure Plan: Why the Raw Material Demand Surge From Biden's Build Back Better Is Already Hitting Your Chinese Supplier's Price Lists

The G7 B3W ($40T Build Back Better World) counter to China's Belt and Road is being teed up for the June Cornwall summit. Combined with Biden's $2.3 trillion US infrastructure plan, it's already moving steel, cement chemicals, battery chemicals, and specialty metals pricing. Here's how it lands on your FOB quotes.

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Supply Chain 11 min read

The Texas Deep Freeze Just Triggered Force Majeure on MDI, TDI, HDPE, and PP: Why Chemical Importers Need to Double Down on Chinese Supplier Relationships Right Now

Winter Storm Uri knocked out a significant share of US Gulf Coast chemical production in February 2021. MDI, TDI, HDPE, and polypropylene buyers are already scrambling. Here is what happened, which facilities declared force majeure, and how to move fast with Chinese alternative suppliers.

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