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Trade wars

Today

Blow to Labor’s hopes as US seeks ‘across the world’ tariffs

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says America is being “treated like crap by everyone” and wants a a globally consistent tariff regime.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged his lieutenants to remain composed in the face of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

China warns Trump of countermeasures after new tariff threat

Beijing accused Washington of “shifting the blame” on the fentanyl crisis after Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs over deadly drug flows.

Yesterday

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and director of Trump’s National Economic Council Kevin Hassett in Washington.

Government bracing for tariff rejection by Trump

The Albanese government has started playing down the prospects of securing tariff exemption for the Trump administration.

This Month

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is in Washington trying to negotiate a tariff exemption

Rudd, Chalmers, Farrell lock in US talks in race for tariff carve-out

The Albanese government is mounting a full court press in Washington to spare Australian exports from tariffs before the election is called.

President Donald Trump.

Trump says tariffs on Canada, Mexico ‘going forward’

The president reiterated his view that the United States had been mistreated by its neighbours and allies.

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New Trump tariff threat to Australia over ‘plundering’ of tech giants

US President Donald Trump has accused overseas governments of plundering the revenues of US technology companies, putting Australia’s news bargaining incentive squarely in his sights.

Donald Trump addresses the media at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump plans 25pc tariffs on cars, pharma, chip imports

The US president provided more details about his expected next levies that will hit specific sectors and widen his trade war.

Scott Morrison and his wife, Jenny, spent New Year’s Eve with then-president-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, at their Florida resort Mar-a-Lago.

Dutton is not playing Trump card, Morrison says

The former prime minister says the opposition leader isn’t trying to mimic the US president, and the Australian political system wouldn’t let him.

A Tesla showroom in Shanghai.

China pushes back on Tesla expansion as trade tensions mount

Beijing is said to be weighing up using its approval for the EV maker’s autonomous driving technology as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the US.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump. 

The Aussie trade hit list that Trump may use to cut a deal on tariffs

US officials say Australian restrictions on American meat, fruit, pharmaceuticals and streaming platforms such as Disney+ and Netflix hinder free trade.

BlueScope chief executive Mark Vassella.

BlueScope set for higher profits from Trump steel tariffs

CEO Mark Vassella says demand for US-made steel is on the rise and extra profits will flow, with $1.3 billion added to the group’s market value.

President Donald Trump.

Ally Japan seeks exemption from Trump’s tariffs

Tokyo joins Canberra among those trying to avoid the US president’s aggressive “reciprocal” tariffs announced last week.

A farmer harvests his soybean crop in Pace, Mississippi.

EU plans Trump-style import ban on food

Brussels wants to block farm products containing prohibited pesticides from the United States, a policy similar to Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” trade policy.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles attends a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, not pictured, at the Pentagon, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

What if there is no way of Australia placating Trump?

The only certain thing is that the US president challenges all the assumptions Canberra has ever made about American security guarantees.

Can Australian smelters survive Trump and the carbon transition?

Australia’s carbon-intensive smelters are not killing the American aluminium industry – they’re fighting to survive.

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President Donald Trump (pictured) likes tariffs because he believes other economies have no choice but to continue to sell into the enormous American market.

Will Australia get a tariff exemption? A Washington insider’s take

Some White House advisers seem to want Australia to experience the pain of tariffs before there is any negotiated relief as a move to enhance America’s bargaining position.

President Donald Trump is pressing forward with his tariffs agenda.

Trump’s new tariffs spark fears for Australia

The president announced a new policy of imposing tariffs on a “country-by-country” basis, with Australia potentially in the firing line over GST.

Don Farrell.

US tariff threat a good reason to diversify markets, says Farrell

The imposition of punitive trade restrictions by China has taught Australian exporters to diversify their markets, the trade minister says.

Former US Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin with former Australian treasurer Joe Hockey. Mr Manchin will join Mr Hockey’s Bondi Partners as a senior adviser.

This US senator stole Joe Hockey’s boots. Now they’ve joined forces

Joe Manchin says Australia will always be a valued ally even if it does not feel that way in the frenzied early days of Donald Trump.

Trump holds up the executive order outlining the steel and aluminium tariffs.

US ‘welcomed’ extra Australian aluminium to plug Russia gap

The US government readily accepted a surge in exports of Australian aluminium after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sources have revealed.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/trade-wars-1lyy