US-UK Trade Breakthrough Expected Amid Global Tariff Turmoil
The United States and the United Kingdom are poised to announce a long-anticipated agreement to lower tariffs, in a move aimed at easing trade tensions sparked by sweeping levies imposed by President Donald Trump.
The UK government has been pushing for a deal since Trump’s global tariff policy took effect last month, targeting nearly every international trading partner. On Wednesday night, Trump teased the potential agreement via social media, describing it as a “major trade deal” with a “highly respected country.”
The trade standoff began on April 2 when Trump unveiled broad tariffs on dozens of countries, but later introduced a 90-day grace period for negotiations. Since then, governments around the world have raced to secure favorable terms before the deadline.
Although a blanket 10% global tariff remains in place—applying to UK goods—the country has avoided the higher “reciprocal” tariffs enforced on other nations. However, British steel, aluminum, and auto exports to the U.S. are still subject to a separate 25% import duty.
In addition to the UK, the U.S. is reportedly nearing trade agreements with India and Israel, while talks continue with Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. President Trump has reiterated his ambition to forge new trade pacts as part of a broader effort to reshape the global economic landscape.
Meanwhile, Washington and Beijing are set to engage in high-level negotiations next week in Switzerland aimed at cooling tensions between the world’s top two economies. China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng will represent Beijing, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead the American delegation.
These talks follow months of tariff escalation. Since his return to office, Trump has implemented duties as high as 145% on Chinese imports, prompting Beijing to retaliate with tariffs up to 125% on U.S. goods.
It will mark the first senior-level diplomatic exchange since Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng attended Trump’s inauguration in January. Trade analysts caution that substantive agreements may still take months to materialize.
In a separate development, the UK and India have finalized a trade deal to streamline exports of British products like whisky and cars to India, while reducing tariffs on Indian textiles and footwear entering the UK market.
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