logo
US and Chinese trade teams to meet in 2 to 3 months, Trump's Treasury chief says

US and Chinese trade teams to meet in 2 to 3 months, Trump's Treasury chief says

US trade officials will meet again with their Chinese counterparts within the next two or three months to discuss the future of the economic relationship between the two countries, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday, a day after the Trump administration extended a pause on sharply higher US tariffs on Chinese imports for another 90 days.
In an interview on Fox Business Network's Kudlow, Bessent said the US will need to see 'months, if not quarters, if not a year' of progress on fentanyl flows before it considers reducing tariffs on China.
The Treasury chief also said that increasing revenues flowing into US government coffers from tariffs would make it difficult for the Supreme Court to rule against the Trump administration on the issue if a lower court case makes its way to country's top court.
'The more money coming in, it gets harder and harder for SCOTUS to rule against us,' Bessent said in response to a question about a case currently in front of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington that challenges the legality of what Trump calls 'reciprocal' tariffs as well as a separate set of tariffs imposed in February against China, Canada and Mexico.
Play
He added that several large trade agreements were still waiting to be completed, including with Switzerland and India, but the South Asian country had been 'a bit recalcitrant' in talks with the United States.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

On WWII anniversary, China's PLA says Japan never abandoned dream of military power
On WWII anniversary, China's PLA says Japan never abandoned dream of military power

South China Morning Post

time36 minutes ago

  • South China Morning Post

On WWII anniversary, China's PLA says Japan never abandoned dream of military power

China's military mouthpiece has accused Japan of hollowing out its pacifist constitution and 'embarking on the dangerous path of military expansion'. As Japan marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II on Friday, the PLA Daily warned in a commentary that 'the spectre of militarism has never left the Japanese archipelago', and that right-wing forces had 'never abandoned the dream of becoming a military power'. It accused Tokyo of using American support to steadily roll back post-war restrictions and trigger 'deep concern in the international community over the revival of militarism'. 09:49 Japan weighs bold era of militarisation as Tokyo races to meet defence spending goals Japan weighs bold era of militarisation as Tokyo races to meet defence spending goals The commentary coincided with Japanese Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary, the first confirmed visit by a cabinet member from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration. Such visits have consistently drawn sharp criticism from China and other Asian neighbours, which view the shrine as glorifying Japanese militarism and insulting the victims of Japan's wartime aggression. The commentary in the People's Liberation Army's newspaper also warned against Tokyo's expanding defence partnerships, citing deeper US-Japan military integration, reciprocal access agreements with Australia, Britain and the Philippines, and growing engagement with Nato. 'Under the pretext of cooperation and exchange, Japan is using military linkages to build momentum for its own military development,' it said.

China told to remove purchase restrictions, set mandatory targets to spur consumption
China told to remove purchase restrictions, set mandatory targets to spur consumption

South China Morning Post

timean hour ago

  • South China Morning Post

China told to remove purchase restrictions, set mandatory targets to spur consumption

A high-level Chinese official has called for easing property and other market restrictions to boost spending among the wealthy, as Beijing steps up efforts to stimulate consumption amid deflationary pressures. 'Let the rich spend. This is the most direct [approach],' said Yin Yanlin, who was deputy director at the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, a party organ overseeing economic policy, from 2018 to 2023. Yin, now a senior economic adviser in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the comments at a Peking University organised seminar on Thursday, where he outlined the challenges of deepening reform. Spending by affluent groups can drive market demand and generate income growth, setting off a positive cycle, he said. One of the most important tools to boost consumption lies in removing restrictions, such as those on property and vehicle purchases. Major Chinese cities have relaxed home-purchase restrictions in recent years to support their struggling property markets. Even the capital Beijing, long known for its caution, further eased controls in its outlying districts last week. Yin said certain restrictions have constrained diversified consumption and weakened domestic demand. Income levels are not the main impediment, he stressed, noting that the country's savings have been rising. In the first seven months of 2025, savings in China increased by over 18.4 trillion yuan, including nearly 9.7 trillion yuan (US$1.35 trillion) from households, according to central bank data.

Temasek fine tunes Chinese stock portfolio as PIF exits Alibaba in sovereign fund tweaks
Temasek fine tunes Chinese stock portfolio as PIF exits Alibaba in sovereign fund tweaks

South China Morning Post

timean hour ago

  • South China Morning Post

Temasek fine tunes Chinese stock portfolio as PIF exits Alibaba in sovereign fund tweaks

Two of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds have adjusted their stakes in Chinese equities, trimming their exposure to technology stocks while going long on consumer companies as they mirrored Bridgewater Associates in reacting to volatile markets and rising US-China tensions. Singapore's Temasek Holdings cut its stake in Alibaba Group Holding by two-thirds to 1.85 million shares in the quarter that ended in June, according to its 13F disclosure on Thursday. It slashed its holdings by 87 per cent to 589,256 shares, cut NetEase by 38 per cent to 1.45 million shares and pared H World Group by 8 per cent to 6.24 million shares. Temasek went long on PDD Holdings , increasing its stake in the Pinduoduo discount e-commerce platform by 28 per cent. It raised its investments in Yum China , which operates the KFC and Pizza Hut franchises in the country, by 30 per cent. It invested in some companies for the first time, buying 1.23 million shares of the real estate brokerage KE Holdings and 1.19 million shares of the electric vehicle maker Xpeng The tweaks shrank the value of Temasek's portfolio of 12 US-traded Chinese stocks by more than a third, or US$699.3 million, to US$1.32 billion at the end of June, based on the Post's calculations. The value of the Singapore sovereign fund's equity portfolio of 131 stocks grew 4.4 per cent to US$26 billion in June, from the previous quarter. booth at AWE2024 in Shanghai on March 14, 2024. Temasek was not alone in selling the shares of Alibaba, which owns this newspaper. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) sold all 1.61 million Alibaba shares that it owns in one of China's largest technology companies at the end of June for US$212 million, according to its 13F disclosure.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store