Topic

Trade

26 stories from Planck Standard. Latest: September 20, 2026.

Politics
Bessent and Greer Sat Down With China's He Lifeng at JPMorgan's Manhattan Headquarters Sunday to 'Set the Stage' for Xi's Arrival at the White House on Thursday, the First Chinese State Visit in More Than a Decade

Trump will meet Xi at the airport himself. The summit is the two leaders' second face-to-face of the year after May's meeting in Beijing, and it lands as an existing trade truce nears expiry and as the administration weighs what, if anything, to ask Beijing on AI safety.

Sep 20 3 min read
World
Von der Leyen Offered Canada the First-Ever 'Associate Membership' of the EU in Her State of the Union Speech

Seventy percent of Canadian exports still go to the United States. Ottawa is exploring visa-free living and working rights in Europe and an 'Alliance for the Future' covering defense, minerals, AI and the Arctic.

Sep 16 3 min read
Politics
A 100% Tariff on Drones Over 55 Pounds Took Effect Wednesday. A Thermal Camera Triggers It Too

Trump signed a Section 232 proclamation doubling the price of large or thermal-imaging drones and their components. Smaller civilian models get 25%.

Sep 3 3 min read
Politics
The Government Has Handed Back $100 Billion in Tariffs. Apple Got $2.2 Billion of It

A court filing shows the Treasury has refunded about 60% of the duties the Supreme Court struck down in February — almost all of it to corporate importers, not households.

Aug 10 3 min read
Top News
Trump Put a 15% Tariff and a Price Floor on Polysilicon. America Makes Less Than 2% of the World's Supply

The Section 232 proclamation sets minimum import prices of $21 a kilogram for raw polysilicon and 38 cents a watt for solar modules, and takes effect December 4.

Aug 7 3 min read
Top News
The FCC Is Quietly Drafting a Ban on Chinese Optical Transceivers, the Parts That Move Data Inside AI Data Centers

Four people familiar with the effort told Reuters the administration wants to bar imports of new Chinese models of the devices that shuttle data over fiber inside data centers. China's Zhongji Innolight holds a 27% global share.

Aug 5 3 min read
Politics
Twenty-Five States Sue Over Trump's Third Attempt at Global Tariffs, This Time Under a Forced-Labor Rationale

The coalition, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, argues the administration stretched Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act past its breaking point to impose duties on 60 economies.

Aug 4 3 min read
Politics
Homeland Security Bars 43 Chinese Companies From U.S. Imports in the Largest Forced-Labor Action on Record

The additions to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list cover aluminum, apparel, copper, cotton and tomato producers and push the total to 187 blocked entities. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the companies use 'slave labor.'

Aug 1 3 min read
Politics
Trump Readies New Tariffs on 60 Countries as His 10% Global Levy Expires Friday

The White House has prepared duties of 10% to 12.5% on dozens of trading partners over forced-labor concerns, replacing a temporary blanket tariff that lapses this week after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier trade agenda.

Jul 22 3 min read
Top News
Trump Slaps 25% Tariffs on Brazil Over 'Unfair' Trade, Sparing Coffee and Beef

The duties, taking effect July 22 under Section 301, follow a yearlong probe into Brazil's digital-trade, ethanol and deforestation policies, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio blaming President Lula for refusing to 'negotiate in good faith.'

Jul 16 3 min read
Politics
Trump Administration Unveils New 10% to 12.5% Tariffs on 60 Trading Partners After Forced-Labor Probe

Citing a Section 301 investigation into goods made with forced labor, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer proposed duties spanning Canada to China — months after the Supreme Court struck down the president's earlier tariff regime.

Jun 6 2 min read
World
Trump and Xi Lock In $17 Billion-a-Year Farm Deal, 200 Boeing Jets and Eased Rare-Earth Controls After Beijing Summit

The White House and Beijing released competing fact sheets Sunday detailing the summit's tangible outcomes — agricultural purchases, aircraft orders, and a partial unwinding of rare-earth export controls — but no deal on Taiwan, TikTok, fentanyl or Iran.

May 18 4 min read
World
Trump Returns from Beijing Touting 'Fantastic' Deals With Xi as China Mum on Trade and Iran

After two days of summitry in the Zhongnanhai compound, the U.S. president said China agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets and resume agricultural purchases — but Beijing's post-summit readout made no mention of any trade deal, the war in Iran, or Taiwan.

May 17 4 min read
Markets
Markets Plunge Over 500 Points as Trump's China Summit Yields No Major Breakthroughs

Dow falls sharply Friday as investors express concern over lack of substantive agreements between U.S. and China leaders.

May 17 3 min read
Top News
Trump Returns from China Summit Without Major Breakthroughs Despite Calling Xi a 'Friend'

The lack of concrete agreements with Beijing highlights the risks of President Trump's personality-driven foreign policy approach.

May 16 2 min read
Markets
China Orders 200 Boeing Jets as Trump Touts Trade Success

President announces massive aircraft purchase during Beijing summit, signaling potential thaw in commercial relations.

May 14 2 min read
World
Trump and Xi Display Diplomatic Theater in Beijing as Tensions Simmer Beneath Surface

Despite conciliatory gestures at summit, fundamental disagreements over trade and Taiwan remain unresolved.

May 14 2 min read
Top News
Trump Scales Back China Trade Ambitions as Economic Realities Force Strategic Retreat

The president who promised the toughest trade stance on China in history has been forced to moderate his approach amid mounting economic pressures.

May 13 3 min read
Top News
Caspian Sea Emerges as Strategic Trade Route for Iran Amid U.S. Pressure

The landlocked body of water takes on new significance as Russia ships military and commercial goods to bolster Tehran's ability to withstand American assault.

May 9 2 min read
Top News
Federal Court Declares Trump's 10% Global Tariff Illegal

Panel of federal judges rules president lacks authority to impose sweeping tariffs on most imports without congressional approval.

May 7 2 min read
Politics
Businesses Can Begin Claiming Tariff Refunds Monday After Supreme Court Struck Down Trump's IEEPA Levies

A federal refund portal opens April 20 following the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling that the emergency tariffs were unconstitutional — and businesses that paid billions in duties want their money back.

Apr 19 3 min read
Politics
Supreme Court Strikes Down Broadest Trump Tariffs One Year After Liberation Day

A 5-4 ruling found the administration exceeded its emergency economic powers, but the baseline 10% universal tariff survives and inflation from trade barriers remains embedded in consumer prices.

Apr 11 3 min read
Politics
Trump Signs 100% Tariff on Imported Brand-Name Drugs, Pressuring Pharma Giants to Cut Prices

The executive order, the most sweeping ever against foreign drug manufacturers, gives companies 120 days to either strike pricing deals with HHS or face the full tariff.

Apr 8 5 min read
World
As the US Raises Tariff Walls, the Rest of the World Signs Trade Deals Without America

The EU finalized free trade agreements with both Mercosur and India while Canada reached a landmark deal with China, accelerating a structural realignment of global commerce that analysts say will take decades to reverse.

Apr 6 4 min read
Watch

Politics
Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs in Landmark 6-3 Ruling

The Court ruled the president lacked authority under IEEPA to impose sweeping import levies, sending markets surging and forcing the White House to scramble for alternative legal strategies.

Mar 30 4 min read
World
Iran War Devastates India's Economy as Gulf Trade Routes Collapse, Workers Flee

Generations of Indian workers and businesses built vital economic ties with Gulf states now disrupted by ongoing Middle East conflict.

Mar 22 3 min read