Which Chinese chemical products are relatively dependent on the U.S. market for import and export?

China and the United States trade more than 400 types of chemical products, spanning numerous chemical sectors and industries. In this round of tariff disputes, certain chemical products have been affected directly or indirectly.

I. China exports 436 types of chemical products to the United States, with 84 of them accounting for more than 10% of total U.S. imports.

According to customs statistics, in 2024 China exported more than 436 types of chemical products to the United States. Among these, approximately 84 items accounted for over 10% of U.S. imports, making them among the most significant commodities and representing about 19% of China’s total chemical exports to the U.S.

According to export‑share statistics, diethyl phosphite totaled 300 tonnes in 2024, with all of it shipped to the U.S. market, accounting for 100% of total exports. Diethyl phosphite is an important organophosphorus compound, primarily serving as a key raw material for the fungicide “isoprothiolane,” used to control rice blast, sheath blight, and other diseases; it was also the world’s first organophosphorus fungicide produced on a large scale. In addition, in the pharmaceutical sector, it is employed in the synthesis of the antibiotic fosfomycin and antiepileptic drugs, while in industry it functions as a flame retardant, enhancing fire resistance in plastics and rubber.

The United States is the world’s largest exporter of agricultural products, and its demand for high‑efficiency pesticides continues to grow. Diethyl phosphite, a key raw material for fungicides such as isoprothiolane, is an important input in pest and disease management within U.S. agriculture. The author notes that China boasts abundant phosphate rock resources and relatively low ethanol prices, resulting in diethyl phosphite production costs that are approximately 20%–30% lower than those in the United States.

In 2024, China exported a total of 100 tonnes of acetaldehyde, with 91% going to the United States. Overall, the export volume remains modest, and the primary driver for shipments to the U.S. is arbitrage opportunities. Meanwhile, benzoic acid accounted for 69% of China’s total benzoic acid exports in 2024, making it the largest export product by share, with an export volume of approximately 600 tonnes. Benzoic acid exhibits significant export dependence on the U.S. market, largely because the U.S. is the world’s largest consumer of penicillin; as a key raw material for penicillin, benzoic acid is one of the critical inputs in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain.

Among the large‑scale products exported to the United States, representative items include 1,1‑dichloroethylene, epoxidized soybean oil, PVC gloves, benzyl chloride, hexamethylenetetramine, fuel cells, polymeric MDI, succinic acid, vinylene carbonate, phosphates, and hydriodic acid. Each of these products is shipped to the U.S. in volumes exceeding 20,000 tons, with export shares surpassing 20%, making them both sizable and highly dependent on the U.S. market. This round of tariff disputes could therefore have a measurable impact on such commodities.

II. China imports 448 types of chemical products from the United States, with 114 of these accounting for more than 10% of China’s total imports from the U.S.

According to customs statistics, in 2024 China imported more than 448 types of chemical products from the United States, with 114 of these accounting for over 10% of the total import volume, representing a relatively significant share.

The largest shares are held by 2-butene, acetaldehyde, o-phenylenediamine, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and a mixed blend of ethane, n-hexane, n-heptane, and isohexane; all of these products have an import share of 100%, meaning that since 2024, the Chinese market has been fully supplied by U.S. imports. However, upon comparison, the import volumes of these products from the United States remain relatively small: calcium hydrogen phosphate accounts for only 1,440 tons, and o-phenylenediamine for just 373 tons, resulting in a negligible impact on the Chinese market.

In addition, in 2024, the United States accounted for over 90% of China’s imports of propionic acid, lithium metal, hexamethylenetetramine, terephthalate, ethyl vanillin, and anhydrous sodium tetraborate, underscoring the U.S. as a key supplier to China. Among these, hexamethylenetetramine recorded the largest import volume, at approximately 39,000 tons, while the other products each registered import volumes below 1,000 tons, indicating that none are traded on a large scale. The tariff war has had virtually no impact on these commodities.

In 2024, China’s imports of soda ash from the United States reached approximately 760,000 tonnes, accounting for about 79% of its total annual imports. This makes it the largest‑volume and most significant import category in terms of scale and share. As the world’s leading producer of soda ash, China continues to import from the United States—a situation shaped by a combination of market supply‑demand dynamics, cost differentials, trade policies, and the need for industrial upgrading. The majority of China’s U.S.-origin soda ash consists of high‑purity grades with a purity of ≥99.9% and impurity levels ≤0.01%, products that have long relied on imports.

Soda ash produced in the United States via the natural alkali process is irreplaceable in applications such as photovoltaic glass coating and lithium‑ion battery electrolytes, owing to its low impurity content and high whiteness. In 2024, more than 70% of China’s soda ash imports from the United States were used in the production of photovoltaic glass.

In addition, in 2024 the China–U.S. trade environment remained relatively stable. China imposes a 5% import tariff and a 13% value-added tax on soda ash, while U.S.-origin soda ash benefits from partial tariff reductions under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, resulting in an overall tax rate lower than that of other supplier countries such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Consequently, import tariffs on U.S. soda ash in 2024 are comparatively low, which is one of the primary reasons for the substantial volume of soda ash imports from the United States.

Another product is propane. In 2024, China imported over 17 million tons of propane from the United States, accounting for more than 59% of its total imports. This round of tariffs will affect Chinese companies that import propane from the U.S., and they will continue to rely on support from China’s exemption policies.

In 2024, China imported over 100,000 tons of PVC from the United States, accounting for more than 44% of its total imports and making it one of the largest and most significant import categories. According to the author’s research, U.S.-produced ethylene‑based PVC boasts a purity of ≥99.9% and impurity levels of ≤0.01%, meeting FDA food‑contact and medical‑grade standards; for example, the PVC paste resin manufactured by Olin Corporation is used to produce precision medical devices such as infusion bags and dialyzers. Furthermore, U.S. PVC dominates applications in lithium‑battery separator coatings and semiconductor packaging materials. Westlake’s electronic‑grade PVC, which has obtained UL certification, is employed as an insulating layer in 5G base‑station cables—products that are produced in relatively limited volumes in China, leading to supply shortages. This shortage is one of the primary reasons why China continues to import PVC from the United States.

China–U.S. international trade in the chemical sector includes certain products that, due to their characteristics, are somewhat dependent on the U.S. market; however, both sides are actively seeking alternative markets. Meanwhile, Chinese exports to the United States—particularly those with large volumes and significant market shares, such as epoxidized soybean oil, PVC gloves, succinic acid, and phosphate products—could face substantial impacts from the ongoing tariff dispute, necessitating the identification of alternative consumer markets.

Source: Jiangsu Chemical Network