In today's closely interconnected global economy, the China-US tariff trade war has undoubtedly become a highly prominent event on the world economic stage. Since the outbreak of the trade war, it has had a profound and complex impact not only on China and the United States but also on the global economic landscape.  

The impact of the China-US tariff war on the industrial-grade bentonite industry did not happen overnight; rather, it has gradually intensified alongside the escalation of trade frictions, and can be divided into four main stages:

In August 2023, the United States included Chinese mineral products and industrial auxiliary materials in its tariff list for the first time. Bentonite for casting and bentonite for civil engineering were classified as 'industrial basic materials' and subjected to an additional 15% tariff. At that time, China’s exports of industrial-grade bentonite to the United States amounted to approximately 1.26 billion dollars, accounting for 29% of total exports. With the added tariffs, companies’ profit margins fell by an average of 5-8 percentage points. However, due to limited domestic production capacity in the US and insufficient alternative sources, most companies were able to pass on costs to US buyers with slight price increases (3%-5%), maintaining overall industry profitability, and only a small number of small and medium-sized enterprises suspended orders to the US.

In March 2024, the US raised the tariff rate on mineral products to 25% under the reason of 'balancing the trade deficit', while also including 12 leading Chinese bentonite companies on the 'Entity List Watchlist' ,restricting their cooperation with US military and key automotive enterprises. During this period, the industry's exports to the US dropped to 980 million USD, with export volume falling 18% year-on-year. In industrial clusters such as Jianping in Liaoning and Lin'an in Zhejiang, about 20% of enterprises began to reduce production capacity for the US market and instead explored Southeast Asian markets. Meanwhile, the American Foundry Society promoted domestic mining companies to expand extraction, but due to immature calcium-based clay modification technology, it is difficult in the short term to replace Chinese natural sodium bentonite.

On May 12, 2025, China and the United States issued the "Joint Statement on China-US Geneva Economic and Trade Talks." The US formally lifted some of the tariffs imposed on Chinese goods and amended Executive Order No. 14257 of April 2, 2025, which imposed a 34% reciprocal tariff on Chinese goods, by suspending 24% of the tariff for 90 days while retaining the remaining 10%.

In October 2025, the United States further adjusted its import tariff policies on mineral products, raising the tariff rate on related products to 34%. At the same time, it stated that if China does not lift its rare earth control measures, it plans to impose an additional 100% tariff on all goods imported from China starting from November of the same year. In this round of policy adjustments, industrial-grade bentonite was not included in any tariff exemption list.

Affected by the above policies, China's comprehensive cost for exporting industrial-grade bentonite to the United States has increased by 127% compared to 2023, and the profit margins of related export companies have sharply declined from 22% to below 9%, with some companies already experiencing losses on their US orders. Meanwhile, the pressure of restructuring the domestic supply chain in the United States is gradually being transmitted to the local manufacturing sector. Currently, the trade of industrial-grade bentonite between China and the United States, along with the related industry chain, is showing a development trend of 'dual pressure'.