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Trade deals

This Month

Donald Trump said the US and China’s deal to restore their trade war truce is “done”.

Trump says China will ship rare earths in ‘done’ trade deal

The two superpowers will maintain tariffs at their current, lower levels following the agreement reached this week in London, the US president says.

 US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, second right, departs following trade talks at Lancaster House in London.

US, China agree to tone down trade war

American negotiators said they “absolutely expect” conflict around shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets to be resolved within the preliminary deal.

Nine News US correspondent Lauren Tomasi was hit by a rubber bullet while reporting on protests and riots in Los Angeles.

Australia lodges complaint over ‘shooting’ of reporter in LA

Anthony Albanese may raise the incident with Donald Trump next week when the two leaders are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada.

Total exports from China expanded 4.8 per cent year-on-year in value terms in May, slowing from the 8.1 per cent jump in April

China’s May exports slow, deflation deepens as tariffs bite

Customs data showed the value of China’s exports to the US plunged 34.5 per cent year-on-year in May, the sharpest drop since the 2020 start of the pandemic.

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, pictured in 2017, spoke on the phone for the first time since  January.

‘We’re in good shape’: Trump and Xi agree to new trade talks

The phone call between the leaders came in the wake of renewed accusations between Washington and Beijing over violations of a trade deal.

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Donald Trump’s trade war could force businesses to shelve hiring and investment plans and prompt consumers to rein in spending, RBA chief economist Sarah Hunter says.

Trump’s tariffs could hit growth and spark sell-off: RBA

Donald Trump’s trade war could force businesses to shelve hiring and investment plans and prompt consumers to rein in spending, RBA chief economist Sarah Hunter says.

Trump tariffs

Can Labor stop Trump’s tariff assault on Australia?

The PM faces the daunting task of advocating for Australia’s national economic interests while ensuring the nation doesn’t end up dancing to Trump’s tune.

Trump is Tariff Man, but he may be reduced to imposing them on sectors rather than countries.

Will Albanese stand up to Trump on trade and defence?

If played carefully, the US will have to accept Canberra can’t be kicked around, if for no other reason than they need the military bases on Australian soil.

Donald Trump has doubled tariffs on steel and aluminium.

Retaliation ‘not the right way’: Farrell calls for tariff reversal

Trade Minister Don Farrell is calling on the Trump administration to drop all levies on Australian steel and aluminium.

May

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen at Lancaster House.

Five years after Brexit, UK strikes ‘new era’ EU deal

Prime Minister Keir Starmer signs a pact to remove trade barriers and bolster defence co-operation, as both sides reduce their reliance on the US.

Shoppers in Beijing.

China consumption miss overshadows factory strength

Weaker retail sales figures for April point to the need for more supportive policies as economists warn of complacency after a 90-day pause on tariffs.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) and Ambassador Designate to the Holy See Keith Pitt (L) speaking to the media in Rome on Saturday.

Albanese should push EU to join trans-Pacific trade pact: Downer

Australia’s longest-serving foreign minister Alexander Downer said Albanese should push Europe to join the CTPP when he meets EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

Donald Trump is bestowed the presented the Order of Zayed from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

Megadeals and hyperbole: Is Trump’s Gulf tour more fiction than fact?

The US president’s visit has been a four-day jamboree of opulent ceremonies and petrodollar-fuelled investment pledges.

President Donald J. Trump arrives for an official arrival ceremony at Qasr al Watan (Palace of the Nation) May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Trump is on the third day of his visit to the Gulf to underscore the strategic partnership between the United States and regional allies including the UAE, focusing on security and economic collaboration.

AI on the agenda as Trump visits United Arab Emirates

The two countries have finalised a technology framework agreement that was expected to be signed during the US president’s official visit to the Middle Eastern nation.

US President Donald Trump said he had a tough chat with Apple boss Tim Cook.

Trump has a ‘little problem with Tim Cook’

The US president said he spoke to the Apple boss about moving the assembly of devices to the US, rather than accelerating a shift from China to India.

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Shipping

China-US shipping ‘going to explode’ for 90 days

Businesses fear a deal between Washington and Beijing to slash levies will only be temporary, as they race goods to America for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Donald Trump meets Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al Thani in Doha.

Qatar orders 210 Boeing jets during red carpet Trump visit

The US president secured hundreds of billions worth of deals with the tiny Gulf country, which Joe Biden in 2022 named a major non-NATO ally for America.

President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump touts $1.5trn in Saudi investment, lifts Syria sanctions

The US president and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, announced major deals in Riyadh, but the figures don’t quite add up.

President Donald Trump speaks at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Trump’s Middle East visit is all about the money

When you’ve initiated a trade war with China, snaring foreign investment is like a victory on the battlefield for the US president.

US Trade and Manufacturing advisor Peter Navarro’s mega-protectionism notably led Tesla billionaire Elon Musk to deride him as “dumber than a sack of bricks”.

China is beating Trump in the trade war

The reality is that the trade truce marks the end of the opening skirmish of the new cold war between the world’s two superpowers.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/trade-deals-1moy