After months of escalating tariffs and retaliatory measures, China and the United States have reached a fragile truce that has begun to stabilize their trade and technology relationship. While tensions over chips, rare earths, and agricultural exports persist, both sides now recognize their mutual vulnerability, creating a cautious but potentially durable détente rooted in economic deterrence rather than dominance.

China’s decision to forgo special rights in the WTO shows that it takes its great power responsibility seriously. It wants to advance trade cooperation with developed economies and with Global South. A trade upturn with the United States in 2026 is much anticipated.

Beijing’s announcement regarding future World Trade Organization negotiations is strategic. It represents both a willingness to promote WTO reform and an institutional adjustment to support high-quality domestic development and opening-up to the world.

China’s economic struggles have implications for its trading partners across the globe, notably in Europe. What can Beijing’s fight against ‘involution’ tell the world about its future trading prospects?

America’s sweeping tariffs are harmful to both the world economy and to America itself and should be revoked. But a bigger trend is emerging: The relevance of the United States is dwindling when it comes to global trade.

The European Union’s ongoing pursuit of an economy-first strategy continues to encounter significant obstacles, especially the erosion of its economic autonomy resulting from the strategic concessions it has made to the United States.

Prohibitive penalties on the poorest countries threaten to destabilize these fragile economies and deprive tens of millions of poor people of their livelihoods. Trump’s tariffs are not only unjustified, but also immoral. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The second Trump administration has combined aggressive diplomatic engagement with a confrontational trade policy that alienates allies and risks triggering a global recession, despite legitimate concerns about America’s industrial decline. While Trump's trade agenda aims to restructure global commerce to favor U.S. interests, its unilateral execution and failure to build a coalition undermine its effectiveness and may isolate the U.S. rather than restore its manufacturing strength.

The U.S.’ expanded tariffs under the second Trump administration are reshaping global supply chains by imposing steep, targeted duties and pressuring Asian economies to invest in American production. As manufacturing shifts away from China and its neighbors, countries like Mexico may benefit, while India risks being left behind.

Earlier this year, the Chinese firm CATL, the world’s largest battery-maker, unveiled an electric-vehicle (EV) battery capable of delivering a remarkable 520 kilometers (323 miles) of driving range after just five minutes of charging. The announcement came a month after BYD, China’s leading EV manufacturer, launched its own ultra-fast charging system. In solar, too, the numbers are staggering: Chinese firms can now produce over 1,200 gigawatts of solar panels annually.