China took another step toward meeting agricultural commitments made in the phase one trade agreement with the U.S. with its biggest-ever purchase of American corn. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday that exporters sold 1.937 million metric tons of corn, the third-largest deal for the grain to any destination. This purchase tops the previous … Read More

China has bought more than $1 billion worth of American cotton in the past three months. And it doesn’t even need it. The purchases — made as part of the phase one trade deal between Washington and Beijing — are hitting just as the pandemic shuts down clothing stores, decimating demand. That means China’s state-run … Read More

The United States has decided to slap anti-dumping tariffs of up to 52 percent on South Korean polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets amid Washington’s growing protectionism, a local trade promotion agency said Friday. U.S. firms called for anti-dumping duties of between 44.45 percent and 52.39 percent on PET sheet products from South Korea. PET sheets are … Read More

China, the top producer of wheat, has been under pressure to fulfill annual grain import quotas, which include corn and rice, under WTO commitments. The country lost a dispute last year brought by the U.S. which argued the quotas were not fully utilized. Read the article.

To read the history of China analysis in the last 30 years is to be bombarded with predictions of imminent demise. Skeptics said, just poke beneath the surface, and the reality was an unsustainable bubble. Read the article.

The European Union may delay digital tax proposals to give countries move time to hammer out a deal and avert a transatlantic trade war, a top official from the bloc said. “The difficult question that we must face collectively is when is the right moment to move with Plan B,” said Benjamin Angel, Director, DG … Read More

The U.S. announced 25% tariffs on a series of French goods worth about $1.3 billion, in a long-running battle between the two countries over taxes on technology giants. “We call on the U.S. to return to the OECD negotiations on taxing digital giants,” Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in Brussels. “Sanctions are not a … Read More

The House and Senate parliamentarians have cleared the way for votes on a pair of resolutions to withdraw from the World Trade Organization in late July, after Congress returns from a two-week recess. Read the article.

The US has opened the door to the imposition of new tariffs on China to protect its fishing industry, especially the lobster fishermen, which it considers “the crown jewel” of the sector. Read the article.

This month marks 90 years since the US signed into law the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (SHTA). It was formally called “An Act to provide revenue, to regulate commerce with foreign countries, to encourage the industries of the United States, to protect American labor, and for other purposes”. Read the article.