[Overseas News] Adipic Acid Prices Rise Again! U.S. Issues 337 Investigation Ruling; BASF Shuts Down Two Major Care Chemicals Plants in India

International News Digest:

Raw Material News - Second Price Increase! Lanxess Adipic Acid Up About 1170 Yuan per Ton!

Packaging News – ALBIS Showcases at Medtec China, Assessing Medical Packaging and Device Materials

Electronic News - The United States has made a 337 investigation ruling involving multiple Chinese companies, including TCL, Rainbow Optoelectronics, and Rainbow Co., Ltd.

Auto News - The UK announces nearly £130 million in funding to support research and development of zero-emission vehicle technologies

Macro News - Deadlock in the Strait of Hormuz Threatens Aluminum Supply, Prices Rise to a Seven-Week High

Price information — the RMB/USD central parity rate was quoted at 6.7900, down by 16 pips.

The following are details of international news:

Second Price Increase! Lanxess Raises Adipic Acid Prices by About RMB 1,170 per Ton!

On August 6, the German specialty chemicals company LANXESS announced that, due to a sharp increase in raw material and energy costs, it will immediately raise the selling price of its adipic acid products in global markets, with an average increase of EUR 150 per tonne (approximately RMB 1,170 per tonne). This is LANXESS’s second price increase in 2026; a previous global price adjustment of EUR 100 per tonne was implemented in January this year.

2. ALBIS Appears at Medtec China to Evaluate Medical Packaging and Device Materials

ALBIS states that, as a partner to medical device manufacturers and processors, the company provides comprehensive support for medical projects, covering all stages from initial application needs assessment, material selection, and technical evaluation to final project implementation. According to ALBIS, at the Medtec China exhibition, it can help customers meet technical, regulatory, and specific application requirements by leveraging its global business network, extensive portfolio of polymer products and services, and local technical expertise.

The United States made a 337 investigation ruling involving several Chinese companies, including TCL, Rainbow Optoelectronics, and Rainbow Shares.

On August 6, 2026, local time, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) announced the final ruling in the investigation concerning certain glass substrates for liquid crystal displays and products containing the same, as well as methods for manufacturing the same (Investigation No. 337-TA-1433). The USITC found that several Chinese companies, including Rainbow Technology Co. and TCL Huaxing Optoelectronics, violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and decided to issue a limited exclusion order (LEO) and a cease-and-desist order (CDO).

4. The UK announced nearly £130 million in funding to support research and development of zero-emission vehicle technologies.

According to foreign media reports, the UK government has announced that it will invest nearly £130 million (about US$175 million) to support zero-emission vehicle technology, with nearly £65 million coming from government funding and the remainder provided by the industry.

Of this funding, nearly £50 million will be provided by the government to support vehicle manufacturers and their research partners in developing and scaling up the deployment of zero-emission vehicle technologies. In addition, a further £17 million will be used to support nine connected and automated mobility projects, covering technologies such as sensors, brake-by-wire systems and AI-based simulation.

5. Shell Catalysts & Technologies transfers its ECS emissions control business to Lummus Technology

Shell Catalysts & Technologies has transferred the intellectual property assets and experienced technical personnel of its ECS business to Lummus Technology.

ECS provides catalytic emission control systems to a broad industrial market. This business portfolio has been developed over more than thirty years of project deployments. The products include denitrification systems designed to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, helping companies meet increasingly stringent environmental standards while ensuring plant operational performance.

Nylon sales increased by 26% and intermediates by 18% — AdvanSix Q2 revenue rose steadily

Chemical company AdvanSix today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2026. Despite continued weakness in industrial end markets, the company achieved growth in both its nylon and chemical intermediates businesses.

Quarterly sales of the nylon business reached USD 100.2 million, a 26% increase from USD 79.5 million in the same period last year, accounting for 24% of total quarterly sales. Sales of chemical intermediates rose 18% year over year, increasing from USD 107.3 million to USD 127.0 million, representing 30% of total sales.

BASF shuts down two major care chemicals plants in India!

Affected by severe overcapacity in the Indian market, high production costs, and continued pressure on profit margins, BASF India plans to shut down its sulfonation plant and low-temperature reactor at its Dahej production site by the end of 2026.

The company's board of directors approved the shutdown plan at a meeting on August 4. The announcement pointed out that the competitive landscape of the local industry in India has undergone a dramatic change, directly leading to a comprehensive surplus in industry capacity, high costs, and a significant compression of business profitability.

Kalogon launches custom wheelchair cushions.

Kalogon has launched a custom wheelchair cushion that has been assigned a Medicare code, utilizing 3D printing and foam milling technologies to meet complex postural support needs.

Tim Balz, founder and CEO of Kalogon, stated: "Clinicians constantly tell us that their most complex patients are being overlooked, so we developed a technology capable of 3D printing cushions that precisely control localized body support and pressure relief areas. With our variable density mesh, we can create subtle variations on the surface and sides of the cushion that traditional materials simply cannot achieve. These customization options are highly personalized, aiming to provide each customer with the best comfort, support, and fit."

Overseas Macroeconomic Market:

The stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz threatens aluminum supply, pushing prices to a seven-week high.As hopes for the resumption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz diminish in the short term, the market is concerned that aluminum supply in the Middle East will remain constrained for the foreseeable future. On Monday, Trump issued a series of new demands to Iran, including compensation for the deaths of relevant personnel. As a result, London aluminum futures rose by 1%, reaching their highest level since June 23. The hardening stances of both sides suggest that reaching an agreement may still take a long time. This undermines market expectations for a return to normal aluminum supply, while global aluminum inventories are currently hovering near decades-low levels.

Indonesian copper exports delayed due to a smelter malfunction.Indonesia's copper exports are facing delays after the smelter serving the giant Grasberg mine was shut over the weekend due to a boiler leak. Insiders said buyers of copper from the Gresik smelter have been informed that the plant will be out of operation for the coming weeks for assessment and repairs. The Gresik smelter processes ore from Grasberg, which is jointly owned by the Indonesian government and Freeport-McMoRan Inc.

Nearly three-quarters of the UK enters drought conditions.The UK Environment Agency and other departments announced on the 10th that, due to continued low rainfall since August, the drought situation in the UK has worsened. Nearly three-quarters of the country is now in drought, affecting about 45 million people, and more than 27 million people are facing restrictions on water use. The announcement said that the “National Drought Group,” a coordination body established by the UK government to respond to drought, held a meeting on the 10th and warned that water resources in all regions of England are under pressure, with the impacts on agriculture, public water supply, shipping, and the environment becoming increasingly severe.

[Report: SK Hynix Advances EUV Process, Begins Introducing New Material PSM]According to ZDNET, SK Hynix is working to advance its extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) technology to achieve mass production of next-generation DRAM. The company first launched high numerical aperture (High-NA) EUV equipment last year and fully initiated related technology research and development this year. It is reported that the company has fully started to introduce PSM to enhance EUV lithography performance.

[Special-purpose bonds issued to replace existing debt have accelerated their rollout, with nearly 90% of this year’s replacement bonds already issued.]As of August 10, local governments had issued a total of 2,544.807 billion yuan in new special-purpose bonds so far this year, reaching 57.8% of the full-year quota of 4.4 trillion yuan. Meanwhile, the issuance of refinancing bonds this year had reached 1,794.243 billion yuan, fulfilling 89.7% of the annual limit of 2 trillion yuan, nearly 90%.

【特朗普称美军已“100%控制”霍尔木兹海峡】On August 10, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States has already completed mine-clearing operations throughout the entire Strait of Hormuz, and that the U.S. Navy now has “100%” control over this critical waterway. Trump also said that the Strait of Hormuz is “now open,” and that Iran still occasionally lays mines, which the U.S. military will clear away. In addition, Trump reiterated that after Iran demanded that the United States pay compensation for the military conflict, he would also make a compensation claim against Iran — a statement consistent with what he posted on social media a few hours earlier.

Price information:

The RMB exchange rate against the US dollar central parity rate is reported at 6.7900, down by 16 points; the previous trading day's central parity rate was 6.7884, the official closing price of the previous trading day was 6.7442, and the night market closing price was 6.7495.

[Upstream Raw Material USD Market Prices]

On August 10, CFR Northeast Asia was USD 965/ton, down USD 20/ton, while CFR Southeast Asia was USD 950/ton, unchanged.

The average FOB Korea price of propylene in Northeast Asia remained stable at USD 1,040/ton, while the average CFR China price remained stable at USD 1,090/ton.

The CFR price of North Asia refrigerated cargo: propane is 702-709 USD/ton; butane is 752-759 USD/ton.

China South China frozen cargo September CFR prices: propane at USD 740-750/ton; butane at USD 760-770/ton.

CIF prices for refrigerated cargoes in Taiwan: propane at US$702–709/ton; butane at US$752–759/ton.

【LLDPE美金市场价格】

Film: USD 1030/ton (CFR Huangpu);

[HDPE USD Market Price]

Film: USD 1,100/ton (CFR Qingdao);

Hollow: USD 1,230/ton (CFR Yantian);

Injection molding: USD 1,240/ton (CFR Yantian).

[LDPE USD Market Price]

Film: USD 1,360/ton (CFR Huangpu);

[PP USD Market Price]

Homopolymer: 1230 USD/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Copolymer: USD 1,210/ton (CFR Nansha);

Transparent: USD 1,540/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipe material: USD 1,330/ton (CFR Huangpu).