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U.S. strikes more assertive note in trade relations

Mar 26, 2018
South Korea has become the first nation to be permanently exempted from President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs as part of a newly renegotiated free trade agreement between the two countries announced today. The Trump administration has used the possibility of tariffs as leverage in other trade issues as well, such as renegotiating the […]

China's carrot and stick approach to U.S. tariffs

Mar 26, 2018
The U.S. has accused the country of forcing American firms to transfer technology to gain access to its markets.
President Donald Trump has announced tariffs on as much as $60 billion worth of Chinese products. Above, a worker stands on a dock in Shanghai.
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images

American farmers are wary over possible trade war with China

Mar 23, 2018
Trade warriors are on the lookout for China to retaliate against the administration’s barrage of tariffs. A likely first target is agriculture — the U.S. exports massive amounts of sorghum and soybeans to China. In fact, China imports so much U.S. soy that some have said it can’t afford to restrict it with its own tariffs. […]

U.S. limits on Chinese investment could have big effect

Mar 22, 2018
The White House announced today a series of actions aimed at countering what it calls unfair Chinese trade practices. We got tariffs on $60 billion worth of Chinese goods each year, and we got litigation, with the U.S planning to sue China more at the WTO. And finally, the president says he’s going to limit […]

The Trump Administration’s options around tariffs and quotas

Feb 26, 2018
The Trump Administration is trying to figure out how to act on a campaign promise to make trade with China more fair. One thing the administration is considering is imposing tariffs or quotas on imports of steel and aluminum. The justification? National security. Here’s a look at the theory behind that connection, and the administration’s […]

U.S. automakers help Mexican auto export surge in 2017

Jan 10, 2018
The number of vehicles imported to the United States from Mexico reached an all-time high last year. Mexico’s auto industry exported 2.3 million vehicles, which is nearly a 10 percent increase from the year before. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

Mexico’s buoyant exports prompt cheer and fear

May 11, 2017
Mexico’s auto exports to the U.S. are up this year. And with the Trump administration talking tough on trade deficits and the need to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, that could be a problem for our neighbor to the south.   Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

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Trump-Xi summit could spell good news for U.S. beef

Apr 11, 2017
American ranchers are anxious to export to the growing Chinese middle class.
Sarah Glenn/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway

China slows GMO crop exports from U.S.

Apr 5, 2017
Regulators in China are slowing the pace of approving genetically modified crop varieties grown by U.S. producers. Those are crops engineered to resist things like bugs and weedkillers. China is the largest export market for genetically modified soybeans from the U.S, and folks with ties to U.S. agriculture are worried the slower pace of approvals […]

What would a trade war between China and the U.S. look like?

Mar 15, 2017
President Donald Trump has promised to take a tough line with China over bilateral trade. Now word comes that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said at China’s National People’s Congress that China does not want a trade war, but that if it did happen, the U.S. could be hurt. Neither the U.S. nor China has taken […]