May 30, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-30

The EU escalated trade tensions with China on May 29, warning of broader import quotas and tariffs as Beijing's industrial surpluses become "existential" to European industries, prompting China to threaten retaliation. Separately, Canada faces a critical May deadline to renew its three-nation trade deal with the US and Mexico (CUSMA) as negotiations show sluggish progress. The US Court of Appeals stayed a federal court ruling finding Section 122 tariffs unlawful, preserving Trump's tariff authority pending appeal.

3 min read/15 sources

May 29, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-29

The EU officially cleared U.S. tariff deal implementation on May 27, removing duties on American goods to avert Trump's threatened retaliation, while simultaneously broadening import quotas and tariffs against China to shield European industries from what officials call an "existential" threat. Meanwhile, the Trump administration seeks public comment on which Chinese goods should qualify for tariff cuts, signaling a managed trade approach rather than across-the-board relief.

4 min read/15 sources

May 28, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-28

The EU secured final government clearance on May 27 to implement tariff cuts on US goods under the July 2025 trade deal, averting Trump's threatened escalation—while simultaneously broadening import quotas and tariffs against Chinese industrial goods. Meanwhile, the US is opening public consultation on which Chinese products should qualify for tariff relief, signaling a methodical approach to managed trade with Beijing as a November truce deadline looms.

3 min read/15 sources

May 27, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-27

The single biggest trade headline this week is Washington's move to open a formal public comment process on which Chinese goods should qualify for lower tariffs, a significant procedural step in the US-China managed trade framework that emerged from the Geneva truce. As a secondary theme, the WTO's Goods Council convened on May 20–21 and confronted 38 specific member trade concerns — nine of them brand new — signaling that multilateral tensions remain acute even as bilateral deals advance.

5 min read/15 sources

May 24, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-24

China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods wiped out an estimated $14.9 billion in export sales over a 12-month period, according to a new North Dakota State University study published this week — with soybeans absorbing the largest blow. Separately, the U.S.-China trade truce remains fragile heading into November, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed Washington is "not in a rush" to extend the agreement, even as both sides have flagged agricultural tariff cuts with few implementation details.

5 min read/15 sources

May 23, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-23

China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods wiped out an estimated $14.9 billion in export sales over a 12-month period, according to a new North Dakota State University study published May 22, with soybeans taking the biggest hit. Meanwhile, the EU-U.S. tariff deal framework—formalized via a Council and Parliament agreement on May 20—continues to face pressure as Washington signals it also wants Brussels to address non-tariff barriers.

5 min read/15 sources

May 22, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-22

The EU cleared a major legislative hurdle on May 20, advancing implementation of the Turnberry trade deal with the US — with the EU Council and Parliament agreeing on regulations to slash import duties on American goods, averting threatened tariff hikes ahead of a July 4 deadline. Simultaneously, China signaled willingness to extend its trade truce with the US while setting limits on Section 301 tariffs, as Washington's Ministry of Commerce confirmed agricultural tariff cuts agreed after the Trump-Xi summit, though implementation details remain sparse.

6 min read/15 sources

May 21, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-21

The European Union cleared a major legislative hurdle this week, with the EU Council and Parliament striking a deal to implement the tariff elements of the Turnberry Joint Statement with the United States — a provisional agreement that caps most EU goods at 15% tariffs and aims to forestall a threatened U.S. tariff hike ahead of a July 4 deadline. Meanwhile, the U.S. signaled it is "not in a rush" to extend its critical minerals and tariff truce with China, which expires in November, casting uncertainty over the world's most consequential trade relationship.

6 min read/15 sources

May 20, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-20

The European Union struck a landmark provisional agreement on May 20 to remove import duties on U.S. goods, finalizing a key component of the transatlantic trade deal originally reached last summer and averting threatened higher U.S. tariffs on European products. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled on May 19 that Washington is "not in a hurry" to extend its tariff and critical minerals truce with China, which expires in November, adding fresh uncertainty to global supply chains.

5 min read/15 sources

May 19, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-19

The European Union moved on May 19, 2026 to scrap import duties on U.S. goods in compliance with a previously struck trade deal, aiming to head off President Trump's threat of higher tariffs ahead of a July 4 deadline. Meanwhile, the EU faces a parallel challenge from China, with Brussels weighing tools to shield itself from cheap Chinese imports as Beijing diversifies its trade toolkit following the U.S.-China truce.

6 min read/15 sources

May 17, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-17

The post-summit trade landscape between the U.S. and China remains in a fragile "uneasy truce" following the Beijing summit, with analysts describing only modest breakthroughs and low expectations for a substantive deal. Meanwhile, the European Commission is preparing new measures to reduce economic dependence on Chinese trade, set to be presented to EU leaders at a summit next month.

6 min read/15 sources

May 15, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-15

The Trump-Xi Beijing summit produced a tentative framework for tariff reductions on approximately $30 billion in "non-sensitive" goods, marking the most significant de-escalation in the U.S.-China trade war since tariffs sent bilateral commerce into freefall. A secondary theme this week is the approaching July 4 deadline Trump set for the EU to conclude a trade deal — or face renewed tariff escalation.

5 min read/15 sources

May 14, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-14

Presidents Trump and Xi met in Beijing to begin repairing the damage from a year-long trade war, with the two sides weighing potential tariff cuts on approximately $30 billion of non-sensitive goods imports as part of a managed trade mechanism. A secondary theme is the broader human cost of the conflict: U.S.-China bilateral trade entered a historic freefall in 2025, forcing companies on both sides of the Pacific to significantly restructure their supply chains and operations.

6 min read/15 sources

May 13, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-13

The Trump–Xi summit dominated global trade headlines this week, with Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meeting amid overlapping tensions over trade, Taiwan, and Iran — a gathering analysts say could reshape tariff arrangements between the world's two largest economies. A secondary theme: Costa Rica's CPTPP accession negotiations concluded on May 6, marking a meaningful expansion of the Asia-Pacific trade bloc into Latin America.

6 min read/15 sources

May 12, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-12

The US-China trade relationship remains in sharp focus this week, with President Trump reportedly planning his first visit to China in eight years for a summit with President Xi Jinping in May. Meanwhile, Trump has set a hard July 4 deadline for the EU to ratify a trade deal or face sharply higher tariffs, with EU vehicle tariffs potentially jumping from 15% to 25%, and a US trade court ruling on Trump's broad tariff authority continues to reverberate through import supply chains.

5 min read/15 sources

May 11, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-11

The US-EU trade standoff escalated this week as the Trump administration confirmed it will revert to higher tariffs on EU goods if Brussels fails to meet a July 4 deadline, while US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer declared the administration expects to win its appeal of the Court of International Trade's ruling that struck down the 10% global tariff. A secondary theme is the legal battlefield intensifying around Trump-era tariff authority, with the CIT ruling providing only narrow relief limited to lawsuit plaintiffs.

6 min read/15 sources

May 10, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-10

The U.S. Court of International Trade struck down the Trump administration's temporary 10% global tariff on May 7, 2026 — but relief is narrow, applying only to the plaintiffs who sued. Simultaneously, President Trump escalated pressure on the EU by setting a July 4, 2026 deadline for a trade deal, threatening "much higher" tariffs including a proposed 25% levy on EU vehicles if no agreement is reached.

6 min read/15 sources

May 9, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-09

A U.S. court struck down Trump's sweeping 10% global tariff as illegal, dealing a major legal blow to the administration's trade war strategy just as Trump prepares to travel to Beijing for high-stakes talks with China. Separately, Trump set a July 4 deadline for the European Union to ratify a trade deal or face "much higher" tariffs, ratcheting up pressure on transatlantic commerce.

6 min read/15 sources

May 8, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-08

The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled Trump's sweeping 10% global tariff illegal on May 7, issuing a narrow block that applies only to the companies that sued — while simultaneously, President Trump gave the EU a July 4 deadline to finalize a trade deal or face dramatically higher tariffs, escalating a confrontation that has roiled transatlantic commerce for months. Secondary themes include the looming Trump-Xi summit in May and fresh legal uncertainty hanging over the administration's entire tariff architecture.

6 min read/15 sources

May 7, 2026

Global Trade Weekly — 2026-05-07

Trump's planned visit to China next month is putting a spotlight on the still-unresolved US-China trade war, even as Beijing quietly expands its economic toolkit during the ongoing truce. Meanwhile, the US-EU trade relationship faces a fresh flashpoint: the EU is urgently pressing Washington to reinstate tariff levels agreed under last summer's Turnberry deal, while Trump has threatened to raise auto tariffs on EU imports from 15% to 25%.

6 min read/15 sources

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