U.S. Considers New Tariffs on Six Industries! Celanese Reports Earnings Decline; Li Auto Joins EUCCC

International News Highlights:

Raw Material News: Celanese Officially Opens Michigan Tech Center to Boost R&D on TPV, PA and Other Engineering Plastics

Automotive News: Li Auto Joins the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China

Packaging News: TotalEnergies Corbion's PLA Powers Label-Free Embossed Bottle

Medical News: Breakthrough! Penn State Develops Stretchable Conductive Plastic for Next-Gen Implantable Medical Devices

Macro News: U.S. Considers New Tariffs—Separately Implemented from Previous Global 15% Tariffs, Covering Plastic Pipes and Industrial Chemicals

Price Information: USD/CNY Central Parity Rate at 6.9414, Down 16 Pips

International News Details:

1. Plastics Industry Responds to Supreme Court Ruling on Tariffs

The Plastics Industry Association has expressed longstanding concerns over tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and reaffirmed its commitment to policies that strengthen domestic production. The lawsuit was filed on April 14, 2025, by the Freedom Justice Center on behalf of five family-owned businesses, including Genova Pipe, an ABS plastic pipe extrusion firm headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company imports resin from South Korea and Taiwan, China; tariffs have significantly raised raw material costs at its Washington State plant, whose products are primarily exported to Canada.

Barron’s reported: “This ruling affects more than 60% of tariff revenue collected to date, but industry-specific tariffs and duties imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 are not covered by this decision.”

2. Celanese Officially Opens Michigan Tech Center to Boost R&D on TPV, PA and Other Engineering Plastics

Celanese recently announced the official opening of its expanded Michigan Technology Center (MTC). This strategic expansion further strengthens the company’s U.S.-based innovation footprint and supports its Engineered Materials 2026 Growth Strategy. The center aims to deepen early customer collaboration, shorten R&D cycles, and drive deeper integration of technology and expertise across Celanese’s full materials portfolio.

The expansion also relocated the Santoprene® TPV pilot line from Houston, Texas, to Michigan, creating a centralized hub for extrusion development, foaming technologies, and advanced engineering applications while lowering overall supporting costs.

3. TotalEnergies Corbion's PLA Powers Label-Free Embossed Bottle

According to Plastmatch, removing bottle labels has become a practical way to improve recycling efficiency. A new embossed PLA water bottle demonstrates how packaging design choices can directly support circular packaging systems.

Developed for the South Korean market, this label-free beverage bottle uses embossed branding to replace traditional labels, eliminating one of the main obstacles to efficient bottle recycling. The design integrates brand identity directly into the bottle body, allowing it to enter the recycling process without additional treatment, enabling purer material flow and higher-quality recycled materials.

This bottle is purpose-built for the closed-loop PLA recycling system jointly established by TotalEnergies Corbion and Sansu Group (i’m eco). Post-consumer bottles are recycled, pre-treated, and chemically recycled via hydrolysis to break down PLA into its raw building block—lactic acid monomer—which is then reused to produce stable recycled Luminy® PLA (rPLA).

4. Breakthrough! Penn State Develops Stretchable Conductive Plastic for Next-Gen Implantable Medical Devices

Dr. Enrique Gomez, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University, stated that a stretchable, conductive plastic could power next-generation implantable biomedical devices such as more durable pacemakers or glucose monitors. Gomez and his team used advanced imaging techniques to study PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)), a stretchable material commonly used in soft robotics and touchscreens. They found that adding different salt additives and water enables the material to grow hair-like fibers that effectively conduct electricity.

The researchers recently published their findings in Nature Communications, noting that minor chemical adjustments to this plastic can significantly impact its physical properties and conductivity.

5. Celanese Releases 2025 Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter Financial Results

Celanese (NYSE: CE), a global chemical and specialty materials company, reported a GAAP diluted loss per share of $10.44 and adjusted earnings per share of $3.98 for the full year 2025. The company achieved net sales of $9.5 billion in 2025, a 7% decrease year-over-year, with prices down 4%, volumes down 4%, and only a small positive foreign exchange impact.

6. EU SUPD Implementing Act Introduces Two Major Adjustments

The document introduces two key changes:

It allows chemically recycled PET to be counted via certified mass-balance accounting, including the “fuel use exemption” rule.

Until November 2027, recycled PET produced outside the EU will not count toward the mandatory minimum recycled content in plastic bottles.

These combined policies aim to protect EU-based PET bottle producers—especially recyclers—from low-cost Asian recycled material imports, while encouraging domestic investment in production facilities to ensure stable medium-to-long-term supply of EU-made recycled PET.

7. Li Auto Joins the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China

On February 24, 2026, Li Auto joined the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC) as a member and became part of the Chamber’s Automotive Working Group. The decision was unanimously approved by the EUCCC Board of Directors.

Headquartered in Brussels, adjacent to key EU decision-making bodies, the EUCCC currently represents over 1,000 Chinese enterprises operating in Europe, serving as a bridge for China-EU economic and trade cooperation.

Overseas Macro Market:

U.S. Considers New Tariffs—Separately Implemented from Previous Global 15% Tariffs, Covering Plastic Pipes and Industrial Chemicals

According to CCTV News, on February 23 local time, U.S. media reported that the U.S. government is considering imposing a new round of tariffs on approximately six industries on national security grounds. Sources indicate the proposed tariffs may cover large batteries, cast iron and iron components, plastic pipes, industrial chemicals, and power grid and telecommunications equipment. These new tariffs will be implemented separately from the recently announced global 15% tariff measures.

U.S. Government to Cease Collecting Unlawful Tariffs Starting February 24

Xinhua News Agency reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), under the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed it will stop collecting import tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) starting February 24 local time. CBP stated the decision is based on the latest executive order signed by President Trump on February 20, covering ad valorem tariffs imposed under executive orders and amendments signed between February 1 and August 6, 2025.

Israeli Media: Israeli Healthcare System Prepares for “Long War” with Iran

Israeli media reported on February 23 that Israel’s healthcare system is making emergency preparations for a potential “long war” with Iran. The Times of Israel stated the Israeli Ministry of Health is considering scaling back operations in internal medicine departments and transferring some inpatients to home care to reduce hospital occupancy. Additionally, the ministry is considering reassigning doctors from hospitals in central Israel to facilities in peripheral regions.

Trump Denies U.S. Military Leaders “Oppose War with Iran”

On February 23, U.S. President Trump posted on social media denying media reports that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Caine opposes military strikes against Iran. Trump stated the reports of Caine “opposing war with Iran” have no credible sources.

Former British Ambassador to U.S. Arrested in Epstein Case

London’s Metropolitan Police announced on the afternoon of February 23 local time that Peter Mandelson, former British Ambassador to the United States, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Mandelson has been taken to a London police station for questioning. The Metropolitan Police first announced an investigation into Mandelson earlier this month over alleged misconduct during his public service.

Price Information:

USD/CNY Central Parity Rate: 6.9414, down 16 pips; previous rate: 6.9398; previous official close: 6.9114; previous night session close: 6.9032.

LLDPE USD Market Prices

Film Grade: 820 USD/ton (CFR Shanghai)

Injection Molding Grade: 925 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu)

HDPE USD Market Prices

Film Grade: 910–920 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu)

Blow Molding Grade: 858–1040 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu)

LDPE USD Market Prices

Film Grade: 1060 USD/ton (CFR Dongguan)

PP USD Market Prices

Homopolymer Grade: 840–900 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu)

Copolymer Grade: 1020 USD/ton (CFR Nansha)

Film Grade: 1020 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu)

Transparent Grade: 1070–1120 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu)

Pipe Grade: 1130 USD/ton (CFR Shanghai)