trade
As trade talks between Washington and Beijing intensified earlier this year, suspected Chinese hackers broke into an industry group for U.S. manufacturers that has helped shape President Donald Trump’s trade policies, according to two people familiar with the matter.
It has been a month since President Trump shook hands with Chinese vice premier Liu He in the Oval Office to signify that the United States and China had reached preliminary agreement on a "substantial phase one" trade deal. But negotiators from the two countries can't seem to translate that handshake into a written document--at least not one that Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are willing to sign.
The U.S. trade deficit fell 4.7% to $52.5 billion in September as the country recorded its first petroleum surplus, but overall imports and exports otherwise fell under the weight of rising global tariffs and a slowing world economy. The goods trade gap with China narrowed by $100 million to $31.6 billion, with exports to the country falling $800 million in September and imports from China falling $1.0 billion.
Intellectual property rules, which were cited in the US Section 301 investigation that launched the trade dispute, have emerged as a key point of contention between the two sides. President Donald Trump has said the partial agreement included unspecified commitments that would help protect American companies.
The US and China struck a partial trade deal on Friday, reaching a truce in their months-long trade war that’s rattled global markets and put President Donald Trump under pressure at home. Trump announced Friday that the two sides agreed on a “substantial phase one” of a trade deal after meeting with Chinese negotiators at the White House.
CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s move to blacklist some Chinese tech companies will hinder its chances in negotiating a trade deal later this week. “They’re torpedoing the talks,” Cramer said on “Squawk Box.” “Anybody that is hopeful, their hopes are dashed.”
Singapore has overtaken the U.S. to become the most competitive nation in the world, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). In its 2019 Global Competitiveness Report, the WEF measured the strength of 103 key indicators, such as inflation, digital skills and trade tariffs, across 141 countries.
The Department of Commerce added 28 new companies and agencies to its running “blacklist” of Chinese firms banned from doing business in the United States, with a notable focus on companies that specialize in artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital surveillance.
The prospects for Congress ratifying a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada improved last month when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "we're moving ahead" and expressed hope for "a continuing path to yes." No trade agreement is ever perfect. But the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the trade deal that could replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), is an improvement over NAFTA in several respects, especially when it comes to workers' rights and the environment.
Apple’s insanely expensive new desktop computer will be made in the United States -- not China, the company announced Monday. The $6,000 Mac Pro will be built at Apple’s Austin, Texas, plant following US trade regulators approving 10 requests for tariff exemptions filed by Apple for computer parts.