China demands US lift Xinjiang cotton, tomato import ban

BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday demanded Washington drop a ban on cotton and tomato imports from its Muslim northwest over complaints they are produced by forced labor, which a spokesman dismissed as the “lie of the century.” The ban announced Wednesday adds to a flurry of sanctions imposed...

China 2020 exports up despite virus; surplus surges to $535B

BEIJING (AP) — China’s exports rose in 2020 despite pressure from the coronavirus and a tariff war with Washington, boosting its politically volatile trade surplus to $535 billion, one of the highest ever reported. Exports increased 3.6% over 2019 to $2.6 trillion, an improvement on the previous...

China reports 2020 exports rose 3.6% despite virus, US tariff war; trade surplus swells to $535 billion

France's hopes lift as US freezes tariffs over tech tax

PARIS (AP) — France’s government breathed a sigh of relief Friday after the U.S. indefinitely delayed tariffs on French cosmetics and other goods designed as retaliation for a French tax on technology giants. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said in a statement Thursday that it...

North Korea ends party meeting with calls for nuclear might

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed all-out efforts to bolster his country's nuclear deterrent during a major ruling party meeting where he earlier laid out plans to work toward salvaging the broken economy. Separately, Kim’s powerful sister criticized South...

N. Korea threatens to build more nukes, cites US hostility

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to expand his nuclear arsenal as he disclosed a list of high-tech weapons systems under development, saying the fate of relations with the United States depends on whether it abandons its hostile policy, state media reported Saturday....

Companies say post-Brexit rules are clogging up UK-EU trade

LONDON (AP) — Some businesses said Friday that costs and paperwork are hampering trade between Britain and the European Union as the reality of the U.K.’s post-Brexit trading relationship with the bloc takes hold. Britain left the economic embrace of the 27-nation bloc, the final stage of Brexit, at...

French traders, EU sound alarm over US tit-for-tat tariffs

PARIS (AP) — French wine exporters warned Thursday that they'll take a billion-euro hit in 2021 from the latest ratcheting-up of punitive tariffs between the United States and Europe in a trade row over aircraft subsidies. The U.S. government announced Wednesday the imposition of additional tariffs on...

Britain, Turkey reach post-Brexit free trade agreement

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey and Britain signed a free-trade agreement Tuesday as the U.K. prepares to leave the European Union's economic orbit at the start of the new year. The deal, which will come into effect on Jan. 1, aims to support trade between the two countries which was worth more than $25...

UK warns of 'bumpy' post-Brexit transition despite deal

LONDON (AP) — First came the Brexit trade deal. Now comes the red tape and the institutional nitty gritty. Four days after sealing a free trade agreement with the European Union, the British government warned businesses Monday to get ready for disruptions and “bumpy moments” when the new...