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U.S. wants Chinese consumers to spend more and shrink the trade gap. That won't be easy.

Mar 14, 2025
A look at why consumption in China has been sluggish.
Chinese officials also want consumers to spend more to spur economic growth, but they're not willing to provide a lot of support.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

China's retaliatory tariffs on agricultural goods will squeeze farmers

Mar 10, 2025
Chinese buyers will pay 10% or 15% taxes on imported American goods, including chicken, pork, wheat, corn and fruit — stifling demand.
A produce stand at a Beijing market. China is responding to U.S. trade policy by erecting barriers to purchases of American exports.
Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

How beefed-up U.S. tariffs are rattling a Shanghai trade show

Mar 4, 2025
Chinese manufacturers tell Marketplace how they are coping with the additional U.S. tariffs.
Manufacturer Xie Yanjuan stands in front of hair clips and hair bands in red, white and blue — the colors of the American flag. Her business survived the U.S. tariffs under the first Trump administration by lowering her prices. She isn't sure she can survive a second wave.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

U.S. turn toward Russia threatens deep economic ties with Europe

Feb 26, 2025
"NATO is one side of the coin. Economic ties are the other side of the coin," said Neil Irwin of Axios. "Both sides are tarnished right now."
On the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus criticized the administration's new cooperation with Russia.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Why Apple just announced a half-trillion dollar investment in the U.S.

Feb 25, 2025
The investment will go to everything from building a huge new factory in Texas to make AI data servers to shows and movies for Apple TV.
While Apple says it’ll produce more domestically — especially in cutting-edge software and AI — lots of production spending will still go to China and India.
Kevin Carter/Getty Images

China says its unemployment rate is "stable," but job seekers remain gloomy

Feb 13, 2025
China's job hunters say there are fewer decent jobs and more applicants, whether they're seeking manual work or office positions.
A man in Beijing looks at job ads in the Majuqiao Day Labor Market. The advertised jobs range from driving forklifts to warehouse work, offering below $6 an hour.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

Why China's tariff reaction included an investigation into Google

Feb 5, 2025
The tech giant’s flagship search engine, along with YouTube, have been largely unavailable in China for years.
Google pulled out of China in 2019 after the country was implicated in a hack of Google’s corporate data.
STR/AFP via Getty Image

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What Donald Trump's tariffs will mean for the economy

Feb 3, 2025
Prices could rise for certain goods, and the economy could tip into recession.
Trump's recent tariff announcements impact a far larger part of the U.S. economy than the ones he imposed during his first term.
Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images

As trade tensions escalate, here’s what’s inside China’s trade war playbook

Jan 16, 2025
China has had years to figure out how to best respond to U.S. tariffs. That means it’s developed plenty of strategies to respond to any new tariffs during Trump’s second term.
China may not want to escalate the trade war too much because it could make it more difficult to attract foreign investment.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Outgoing Commerce chief: "The only way to win is to out-innovate them"

Jan 14, 2025
Kai Ryssdal does an "exit interview" with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo meets with Marketplace to discuss the Biden administration's economic legacy, including the CHIPS Act, the growth of manufacturing and trade relations with China.
Leon Neal/Getty Images