American manufacturing and global innovation depend on the free, predictable movement of chemical products. The U.S. chemical industry is one of America’s strongest export engines, supplying essential materials to manufacturers and consumers around the world. As emerging economies grow and invest in cleaner, more efficient technologies, they are increasingly turning to American chemistry to reduce emissions, improve sustainability, and strengthen energy security. Keeping trade channels open is critical to supporting these global benefits while strengthening U.S. jobs, investment, and competitiveness.
To ensure trading partners can fully leverage the energy‑, cost‑, and emissions‑saving advantages of American chemistry, ACC is urging the Administration to advance a trade agenda that expands market access, lowers costs for U.S. producers, and reinforces America’s manufacturing leadership. This includes:
- Opening new export opportunities for U.S.-made chemicals and plastics through bilateral, regional, plurilateral, and multilateral negotiations that expand market access and support predictable, rules‑based trade.
- Continuing and concluding ongoing free trade agreement negotiations that enhance market certainty and strengthen U.S. manufacturing and supply chain competitiveness.
- Pursuing a China Phase 2 trade agreement that rolls back additional U.S. tariffs and China’s retaliatory duties and reduces China’s most‑favored‑nation (MFN) tariff rates to ensure fairer, more balanced competition.
- Launching new free trade negotiations with key trading partners and high‑growth emerging markets that rely on U.S. chemical inputs to power advanced manufacturing and clean‑technology development.
- Exploring participation in established regional frameworks, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans‑Pacific Partnership, to expand U.S. commercial reach and strengthen supply chain resilience.
- Supporting additional accessions to the WTO Chemical Tariff Harmonization Agreement (CTHA) to simplify tariff schedules, promote regulatory clarity, and reduce costs for U.S. exporters.
- Pursuing targeted tariff elimination agreements with strategic partners to reduce barriers, lower production costs, and increase the global competitiveness of American chemistry.
A modern trade strategy that prioritizes chemical competitiveness strengthens every sector that depends on chemistry—from agriculture and electronics to energy, transportation, healthcare, and consumer goods. By expanding market access and addressing unfair trading practices, the United States can keep American chemistry strong, globally competitive, and central to the world’s most advanced manufacturing economies.
