Policy & Regulation

Japan and South Korea have launched formal supply-chain cooperation covering emergency LNG, crude and petroleum-product supplies as the Hormuz crisis highlights Northeast Asia's exposure to Middle Eastern energy disruptions.

• Japan South Korea
• Energy Supply Chain
• LNG Market
• Crude Oil Supply
• Asian Petrochemicals

The formal publication of U.S. antidumping and countervailing-duty investigations into Indian PFA adds a new layer of trade risk to a small-volume but strategically important fluoropolymer market.

• Fluoropolymers
• PFA Materials
• Trade Remedy
• Specialty Chemicals
• Supply Chain Risk

China’s new food-contact standards for coatings and silicone rubber are now in force, pushing formulators, packaging suppliers and global exporters to recheck how their materials are approved, tested and documented.

• Food Contact Materials
• Packaging Chemicals
• Coatings
• Silicone Rubber
• China Regulation

The U.S. plans to push G20 economies to reassess trade terms with China over global imbalances, potentially increasing trade-remedy and supply-chain compliance pressure on Chinese chemical and materials exporters even though no coordinated new G20 tariffs have yet been agreed.

• US China Trade
• G20 Policy
• China Chemical Exports
• Trade Barriers
• Supply Chain Compliance

Rising U.S.-Canada tariff tensions are creating uncertainty for North America’s integrated chemical industry, increasing pressure on companies to reassess logistics, sourcing strategies and regional supply chain resilience.

• US Canada Trade
• Chemical Supply Chain
• North America Chemicals
• Tariff Risk
• Global Trade Policy

On August 11, the Eurasian Economic Commission initiated a changed circumstances review of anti-dumping measures on Chinese titanium dioxide. The review covers pigment-grade products with at least 80% titanium dioxide content, excluding those for fragrances, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food. Notably, anti-dumping duty collection is suspended during the investigation period—a rare practice. This follows the October 2025 imposition of duties up to 16.25% and price undertakings with six Chinese

• EAEU
• Anti-Dumping
• TitaniumDioxide
• China
• FineChemicals

Between June and July 2026, Pakistan's National Tariff Commission launched several anti-dumping investigations targeting Chinese exports, including soda ash, composite aluminum foil, ibuprofen, and ceramic tableware. These products span basic chemicals, pharmaceutical ingredients, packaging, and consumer goods. The scope signals that Pakistan's protective measures are extending into more specialized sectors where China holds strong export advantages.The soda ash investigation began June 11 follo

• Pakistan
• China
• AntidumpingInvestigations

FDA lifted the administrative stay on its Red No. 3 delisting order on August 5, 2026, restoring the January 2027 deadline for food and dietary supplements and the January 2028 deadline for ingested drugs.

• FDA Red No 3
• Food Color Regulation
• Food Additives
• Product Reformulation
• Regulatory Compliance

China’s drug regulator has introduced a priority review pathway for chemical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), effective August 1, 2026. The new policy allows applicants to request expedited review under four categories, including APIs linked to priority-reviewed formulations, first domestic manufacturing applications, overseas-made APIs for originator production, and market-shortage varieties. For most cases, applicants can submit the priority request directly with their marketing autho

• NMPA
• ChemicalActivePharmaceuticalIngredients

On July 23, 2026, the U.S. Trade Representative announced new Section 301 tariffs on certain food and nutritional ingredients from China, effective July 24. A 12.5% surcharge now applies on top of standard MFN duties. Affected products include creatine, taurine, glucosamine, MSM, sucralose, and xanthan gum—key inputs for sports nutrition, joint health, functional foods, and general food processing. With China as the dominant supplier for many of these ingredients, U.S. importers face limited alt

• NutritionalIngredients
• FoodAdditives

India’s ₹30.3 billion BHAVYA-Rasayan scheme will develop three chemical parks of at least 2,000 acres each, using shared environmental, utility and logistics infrastructure to support import substitution, exports and new global investment.

• India chemical parks
• BHAVYA Rasayan
• chemical infrastructure
• industrial investment
• import substitution

EFSA’s updated guidance, applicable from July 20, expands requirements for product characterization, dietary exposure, tiered toxicology, small particles and environmental safety.

• EFSA guidance
• food additive applications
• ingredient compliance
• toxicology requirements
• EU food regulation

The FDA has finalized the removal of Orange B and proposed removing Citrus Red No. 2, primarily because their authorized food uses have already been abandoned by industry.

• FDA color additives
• Orange B
• Citrus Red No 2
• synthetic food colors
• food regulation

South Korea has moved from negotiation to implementation on a major petrochemical restructuring plan. On July 22, 2026, the government approved the “Yeosu No. 1” proposal from Yeochun NCC, Lotte Chemical, Hanwha Solutions, and DL Chemical. The plan merges selected naphtha-cracking and downstream operations while shutting Yeochun NCC’s No. 2 and No. 3 crackers, removing 1.39 million metric tons of ethylene capacity—about 40% of the participants’ combined NCC capacity. This marks one of South Kore

• South Korea petrochemicals
• ethylene capacity
• naphtha cracker
• petrochemical restructuring
• capacity reduction

FDA has moved the planned GRAS mandatory-notification proposal to December 2026, leaving the voluntary system intact for now while signaling that ingredient suppliers should prepare for substantially greater disclosure and documentation requirements.

• GRAS regulation
• food additives
• FDA policy
• ingredient compliance
• food safety

China’s carbon-peaking plan does not eliminate coal chemicals, but turns low-carbon performance into a hard condition for future approvals, expansion, financing and international competitiveness.

• China carbon policy
• carbon peaking
• coal chemicals
• low carbon transition
• green hydrogen

The two-year exemption protects critical U.S. chemical supply chains in the near term, but postpones rather than resolves the conflict between industrial security, technical feasibility and hazardous-emissions control.

• US chemical industry
• emissions exemption
• chemical regulation
• critical supply chains
• environmental policy

Trutakna’s FDA approval gives Vera Therapeutics a first-in-class position in IgA nephropathy, but its $425,000 annual price and reliance on a surrogate endpoint will keep clinical value and reimbursement under close scrutiny.

• Vera Therapeutics
• Trutakna
• FDA approval
• IgA nephropathy
• kidney disease

Bayer and Syngenta have gained valuable U.S. protection for glyphosate, dicamba and atrazine, improving commercial visibility while leaving the underlying health and environmental disputes unresolved.

• Bayer
• Syngenta
• pesticide regulation
• glyphosate
• dicamba

South Korea’s expanded GMO labeling framework shifts the focus from detectable genetic material to raw-material origin, raising traceability and sourcing requirements across the processed-food supply chain.

• South Korea
• GMO labeling
• processed foods
• food regulation
• ingredient traceability