The world trade body previously expected global goods trade to expand by 2.7% in 2025 but it now forecasts it will fall by 0.2% ANALYSIS | CHARLOTTE EDWARDS | The World Trade Organization (WTO) has forecast that global trade will fall this year because of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It …
Read More »Will Trump unite China and Europe?
COMMENT | NANCY QIAN | With little economic or political rationale, US President Donald Trump has introduced some of the highest tariffs in more than a century, and imposed them on nearly every economy in the world. Then, suddenly, despite his insistence that the tariffs were here to stay, he paused the …
Read More »How Trump’s tariffs could wreak havoc on North America’s auto supply chains
NEW YORK | Xinhua | Ford CEO Jim Farley warned at a recent investor conference in New York that levying steep tariffs on imported goods “would blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we’ve never seen.” For years, the U.S. auto supply chains have been deeply integrated with its …
Read More »Canada eyes China-style gains in Africa with first-ever strategy
Canada debuts its first-ever strategy for Africa, as Ottawa seeks to diversify markets and blunt geopolitical shocks amid rising trade tensions with Washington. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Early in March, Canada unveiled its much-touted Global Africa Strategy in a subdued Toronto event, timed eight days before a cabinet …
Read More »Is AGOA gone with Trump’s new tariffs?
Analysts say the new tariffs suggest that the renewal of the initiative is extremely unlikely COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT & AGENCIES | In what has been described as one of the most disruptive moments in trade history, U.S. President Donald Trump on April 02 unleashed sweeping tariffs on nearly all …
Read More »COMMENT: Appeasing Washington will lead to more economic bullying
COMMENT | Xinhua | By doubling down on tariffs under the pretext of “fairness,” Washington is expected to roll out a swathe of so-called “reciprocal tariffs” against a number of countries on Wednesday, including its long-term allies and major trading partners. As the countries worldwide prepare to face the repercussions, …
Read More »Canada launches counter auto tariffs against U.S.
OTTAWA | Xinhua | Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday Canada will be responding by matching the U.S. approach with 25 percent tariffs on all vehicles imported from the United States that are not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). The prime minister said his government will also …
Read More »Trump says he may ‘give a lot of countries breaks’ on tariffs
WASHINGTON | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said that he may “give a lot of countries breaks” on tariffs, as his April 2 deadline to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on U.S. trading partners draws closer. “I may give a lot of countries breaks, but it’s reciprocal,” Trump told …
Read More »Trump’s tariffs and their economic fallout
The immediate effects of the tariffs are already evident. By imposing tariffs on goods from other countries, Trump’s policies have led to higher costs for businesses, which are often passed on to U.S. consumers in the form of increased prices for everyday goods like clothing, electronics and household items. COMMENT …
Read More »Fear of “Trump-cession” mounting in Europe
BRUSSELS | Xinhua | European shares dropped this week as a broad sell-off took hold, fueled by mounting concerns over the fallout of “Trumpcession,” a term coined by economists to describe the turbulence triggered by “erratic” trade and economic policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. The escalating strain in transatlantic …
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