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Chemical makers oppose new tariffs “Chemical makers fight new Trump tariffs” CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS In June, chemical manufacturers converged on Washington, DC, to urge the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) to remove certain chemicals from a new list of tariffs proposed by the Trump administration. The additional taxes on $300bn of Chinese goods could hurt US chemical companies’ competitiveness, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society. Last year, in an attempt to protect US trade, the Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on $50bn worth of Chinese imports, which the Chinese government
reciprocated. Since then, the trade war with China has escalated, culminating with a new list - called List 4 - of Chinese products that would be subject to duties of up to 25%. Combined with the earlier tariffs, these would have a total impact of $26.4bn on chemical and plastic imports, Senior Editor Alexander Tullo writes. Although List 4 is on hold for now as President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping resume trade talks, chemical manufacturers are still concerned that new and existing tariffs could affect their bottom line. Intended to make US companies more competitive, tariffs on Chinese goods could actually have the opposite effect, chemical
manufacturers argue. Some companies rely on raw materials that can only be sourced from China. As a result, foreign manufacturers who do not have to pay tariffs would gain a pricing advantage over US firms. Socma, a trade group for specialty chemical makers, submitted a list to the USTR of 269 chemicals and other materials that would cause hardship for their members if subjected to tariffs. Nonetheless, not every chemical company is against every tariff: Some support tariffs on chemicals subsidised by the Chinese government that are dumped into the US at below-market prices.
Note: ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicises peer-reviewed scientific studies. https://www.acs.org/content/ acs/en/pressroom/ presspacs/2019/acs-presspacjuly-10-2019/chemical-makersoppose-new-tariffs.html
FUTURE PRODUCTION: CHEMICALS The CSIR has strong capabilities in nanostructured and advanced materials, biomanufacturing and metal processing. Through innovation and novel technologies in these areas, the organisation helps to improve the competitiveness of the chemical industries in South Africa - developing new products and supporting the local production of pharmaceuticals and advanced materials. The CSIR’s Future Production: Chemicals cluster accelerates technology diffusion into the market through the integration of digital technologies and stimulates local industry to develop innovative products and processes by providing pilot-scale infrastructure and the necessary skills.
The cluster seeks to establish collaborative partnerships with industry and academia. Green chemistry technologies: The CSIR is enhancing the sustainability of the chemical industry by developing and implementing cutting-edge green chemistry technologies. The focus is on developing high-value chemicals and materials through combined bio- and chemical conversions of biological and petrochemical feed stocks. Processing technology for better access to drugs: The CSIR is focusing on upscaling locally developed and inbound
processing technologies to help the pharmaceutical industry bridge the gap between research and development and product manufacturing. The main intention of the platform is to support local and regional manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and biologics to enhance access to drugs and reduce the trade deficit. Producing and localising advanced materials: The CSIR is supporting chemical industries by developing new and modified materials, while introducing green production methods and focusing on process efficiencies. Such new and modified materials provide superior performance in terms of one or more characteristics.
The main focus is on polymer nanocomposites, emerging nanofillers, advanced polymer materials and primary metal production. https://www.csir.co. za/futureproductionchemicals
