WILMINGTON — In another move in the escalating trade war, China’s market regulator is investigating DuPont’s Chinese operations for allegedly violating the nation’s anti-monopoly law.
The multinational chemical manufacturer has several manufacturing facilities in Chinese cities as well as a research and development center in Shanghai. It’s also a major driver of DuPont’s business as the company reported $2.35 million revenue was generated in 2024 from sales in China.
DuPont confirmed on Friday that China’s State Administration for Market Regulation had opened the investigation on its Tyvek business.
“DuPont takes this matter very seriously and is cooperating as appropriate with authorities,” the company wrote in a filing made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tyvek is a brand of waterproof synthetic polyethylene fibers that are difficult to tear but easy to cut while allowing vapor to penetrate. It has been used in personal protective equipment and house wrapping for construction projects, among other uses.
DuPont Tyvek sales to China in 2024 were approximately $90 million, less than 1% of DuPont’s 2024 consolidated net sales, according to U.S. SEC Filings.
The announcement came on the heels of President Donald Trump revealing sweeping tariffs on April 2, which included 34% on Chinese exports, among many other trade partners. Combined with pre-existing tariffs set in February, that means exported Chinese goods would be subject to a 54% tax.
In response, China rolled out retaliatory tariffs, including another 15% taxes on chicken, wheat, corn and cotton as well as a new tariff on soybeans, fruits, vegetables and more. That builds on other countermeasures such as a 10 to 15% tariff on car and equipment imports from previous actions of the Trump administration.
In addition to DuPont, China has announced it will stop all imports from two poultry processing companies, including Delaware’s Mountaire Farms.
This morning, Trump announced another hike in the taxes, bringing the total tariffs on Chinese imports to 104%. It is the single highest tariff imposed on a country by the U.S., with Mexico and Canada each facing 25% on certain goods, until the president announced on Wednesday afternoon he would drop all tariffs except those on Chinese goods.
Amid the escalating trade tensions, DuPont is working toward spinning off its electronics division and has recently named its leadership for that independent company. The electronics division includes DuPont’s electronic materials and budding semiconductor chip business. DuPont’s key end markets for electronics also included components that allowed devices to connect to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
The electronics division reported $1.5 billion in revenue in 2024, an 11% increase from the previous year. In its annual report, DuPont officials attributed this to demand in semiconductors, artificial intelligence technology and exports to countries including China.
