China hopes for ‘reciprocity’ at trade talks with US in Stockholm

Chinese and US economic officials met for talks in Stockholm on Monday, with Beijing saying it wanted to see “reciprocity” in its trade with the United States.The Swedish prime minister’s office confirmed the talks, which are expected to last two days, were under way.The talks came a day after US President Donald Trump reached a deal that will see imports from the European Union taxed at 15 percent and the clock ticking down for many countries to reach deals or face high US tariffs.Beijing said on Monday it hoped the two sides could hold talks in the spirit of “mutual respect and reciprocity”.Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing sought to “enhance consensus through dialogue and communication, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen cooperation and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations”.For dozens of trading partners, failing to strike an agreement in the coming days means they could face significant tariff hikes on exports to the United States come Friday, August 1.The steeper rates, threatened against partners like Brazil and India, would raise the duties their products face from a “baseline” of 10 percent now to levels up to 50 percent.Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have already effectively raised duties on US imports to levels not seen since the 1930s, according to data from The Budget Lab research centre at Yale University.For now, all eyes are on discussions between Washington and Beijing as a delegation including US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meets a Chinese team led by Vice Premier He Lifeng in Sweden.In Stockholm, Chinese and US flags were raised in front of Rosenbad, the seat of the Swedish government.While both countries in April imposed tariffs on each other’s products that reached triple-digit levels, US duties this year have temporarily been lowered to 30 percent and China’s countermeasures slashed to 10 percent.But the 90-day truce, instituted after talks in Geneva in May, is set to expire on August 12.Since the Geneva meeting, the two sides have convened in London to iron out disagreements.- China progress? -“There seems to have been a fairly significant shift in (US) administration thinking on China since particularly the London talks,” said Emily Benson, head of strategy at Minerva Technology Futures.”The mood now is much more focused on what’s possible to achieve, on warming relations where possible and restraining any factors that could increase tensions,” she told AFP.Talks with China have not produced a deal but Benson said both countries have made progress, with certain rare earth and semiconductor flows restarting.”Secretary Bessent has also signalled that he thinks a concrete outcome will be to delay the 90-day tariff pause,” she said. “That’s also promising, because it indicates that something potentially more substantive is on the horizon.”The South China Morning Post, citing sources on both sides, reported Sunday that Washington and Beijing are expected to extend their tariff pause by another 90 days.Trump has announced pacts so far with the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, although details have been sparse.An extension of the US-China deal to keep tariffs at reduced levels “would show that both sides see value in continuing talks”, said Thibault Denamiel, a fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.US-China Business Council president Sean Stein said the market was not anticipating a detailed readout from Stockholm: “What’s more important is the atmosphere coming out.””The business community is optimistic that the two presidents will meet later this year, hopefully in Beijing,” he told AFP.”It’s clear that on both sides, the final decision-maker is going to be the president.”For others, the prospect of higher US tariffs and few details from fresh trade deals mark “a far cry from the ideal scenario”, said Denamiel.But they show some progress, particularly with partners Washington has signalled are on its priority list like the EU, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea.The EU unveiled a pact with Washington on Sunday while Seoul is rushing to strike an agreement, after Japan and the Philippines already reached the outlines of deals.Breakthroughs have been patchy since Washington promised a flurry of agreements after unveiling, and then swiftly postponing, tariff hikes targeting dozens of economies in April.burs-rl/cw

China hopes for ‘reciprocity’ at trade talks with US in Stockholm

Chinese and US economic officials met for talks in Stockholm on Monday, with Beijing saying it wanted to see “reciprocity” in its trade with the United States.The Swedish prime minister’s office confirmed the talks, which are expected to last two days, were under way.The talks came a day after US President Donald Trump reached a deal that will see imports from the European Union taxed at 15 percent and the clock ticking down for many countries to reach deals or face high US tariffs.Beijing said on Monday it hoped the two sides could hold talks in the spirit of “mutual respect and reciprocity”.Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing sought to “enhance consensus through dialogue and communication, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen cooperation and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations”.For dozens of trading partners, failing to strike an agreement in the coming days means they could face significant tariff hikes on exports to the United States come Friday, August 1.The steeper rates, threatened against partners like Brazil and India, would raise the duties their products face from a “baseline” of 10 percent now to levels up to 50 percent.Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have already effectively raised duties on US imports to levels not seen since the 1930s, according to data from The Budget Lab research centre at Yale University.For now, all eyes are on discussions between Washington and Beijing as a delegation including US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meets a Chinese team led by Vice Premier He Lifeng in Sweden.In Stockholm, Chinese and US flags were raised in front of Rosenbad, the seat of the Swedish government.While both countries in April imposed tariffs on each other’s products that reached triple-digit levels, US duties this year have temporarily been lowered to 30 percent and China’s countermeasures slashed to 10 percent.But the 90-day truce, instituted after talks in Geneva in May, is set to expire on August 12.Since the Geneva meeting, the two sides have convened in London to iron out disagreements.- China progress? -“There seems to have been a fairly significant shift in (US) administration thinking on China since particularly the London talks,” said Emily Benson, head of strategy at Minerva Technology Futures.”The mood now is much more focused on what’s possible to achieve, on warming relations where possible and restraining any factors that could increase tensions,” she told AFP.Talks with China have not produced a deal but Benson said both countries have made progress, with certain rare earth and semiconductor flows restarting.”Secretary Bessent has also signalled that he thinks a concrete outcome will be to delay the 90-day tariff pause,” she said. “That’s also promising, because it indicates that something potentially more substantive is on the horizon.”The South China Morning Post, citing sources on both sides, reported Sunday that Washington and Beijing are expected to extend their tariff pause by another 90 days.Trump has announced pacts so far with the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, although details have been sparse.An extension of the US-China deal to keep tariffs at reduced levels “would show that both sides see value in continuing talks”, said Thibault Denamiel, a fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.US-China Business Council president Sean Stein said the market was not anticipating a detailed readout from Stockholm: “What’s more important is the atmosphere coming out.””The business community is optimistic that the two presidents will meet later this year, hopefully in Beijing,” he told AFP.”It’s clear that on both sides, the final decision-maker is going to be the president.”For others, the prospect of higher US tariffs and few details from fresh trade deals mark “a far cry from the ideal scenario”, said Denamiel.But they show some progress, particularly with partners Washington has signalled are on its priority list like the EU, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea.The EU unveiled a pact with Washington on Sunday while Seoul is rushing to strike an agreement, after Japan and the Philippines already reached the outlines of deals.Breakthroughs have been patchy since Washington promised a flurry of agreements after unveiling, and then swiftly postponing, tariff hikes targeting dozens of economies in April.burs-rl/cw

Italie: Chivu veut maintenir l’Inter Milan “au sommet”

Le nouvel entraîneur de l’Inter Milan Cristian Chivu veut “maintenir le club au sommet”, tout en reconnaissant lors de sa sa présentation officielle lundi qu'”un nouveau cycle s’ouvrait” après le départ de Simone Inzaghi.”On ne regarde pas le passé, on n’a pas de revanche à prendre, j’ai simplement hérité d’une équipe et d’une obligation: la maintenir au sommet”, a déclaré Chivu.”Nous allons tout faire pour atteindre cet objectif, ce groupe a démontré qu’il était uni et qu’il avait envie de rester au sommet du football italien et européen”, a-t-il estimé.”Un nouveau cycle s’ouvre avec un nouvel entraîneur, notre style de jeu aura plus de verticalité, mais nous avons un groupe de valeur et d’expérience”, a insisté l’ancien joueur de l’Inter, qui a pris les commandes de l’équipe juste avant le Mondial des clubs conclu dès les 8e de finale.Sacré champion d’Italie en 2024 pour la 20e fois de son histoire, l’Inter a échoué à un point de Naples dans la course au scudetto fin mai, avant d’être humilié par le Paris SG en finale de la Ligue des champions (5-0).Dans la foulée, Simone Inzaghi, son entraîneur depuis 2021, a décidé de quitter son poste pour rejoindre le club saoudien d’Al-Hilal.La nomination de Chivu, seulement 13 matches de Serie A comme entraîneur de Parme à son actif, avait surpris nombre d’observateurs.”Contrairement à ce que j’ai pu lire ou entendre, Cristian n’était pas notre plan B. C’est l’entraîneur qu’on voulait, le leader qui va nous permettre d’ouvrir un nouveau cycle”, l’a défendu son président Beppe Marotta.”Il a un avantage par rapport à d’autres: il connait le club, ses valeurs, pour y avoir joué et entraîné”, a insisté le dirigeant.Chivu, ancien international roumain de 44 ans, a porté le maillot nerazzurro de 2007 à 2014, puis a fait ses premiers pas d’entraîneur à l’Inter, d’abord avec les équipes de jeunes de 2018 à 2021, puis à la tête de la réserve, de 2021 à 2024.”Nous repartons avec les même ambitions qu’avant (….) Nous voulons gagner, c’est l’objectif des propriétaires, des dirigeants, de l’entraîneur”, a ajouté Marotta.Le président de l’Inter a par ailleurs confirmé que des négociations étaient en cours avec l’Atalanta Bergame pour le recrutement de l’attaquant nigérian Ademola Lookman.

Trump says Gaza ceasefire ‘possible’ amid Starmer talks

Donald Trump said a ceasefire in Gaza was “possible”, and stepped up warnings to Russia, as he met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at one of the US president’s Scottish golf resorts on Monday.Trump made the comments as he greeted Starmer and his wife Victoria at Turnberry, south of Glasgow, where he has spent two days playing golf.The US leader said he would “reduce” a 50-day ultimatum that he has set Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, as he took questions from reporters before his talks with the British leader.”I’m disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him. So we’re going to have to look and I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number,” Trump said.Downing Street said Starmer would press Trump on ending “the unspeakable suffering” in Gaza and urge a revival of stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as a hunger crisis deepens in the besieged Palestinian territory.Asked whether he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there was no starvation in Gaza, Trump said: “I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.”The meeting on Trump’s third full day in Scotland came after the United States and the European Union reached a landmark deal to avert a full-blown trade war over tariffs.Starmer and Trump were to discuss implementing a recent UK-US trade deal.But Gaza was expected to be the focus as European countries express growing alarm over events. Starmer also faces domestic pressure to follow France’s lead and recognise a Palestinian state.- ‘Reject hunger’ -Trump said Sunday the United States would give more aid to Gaza but he wanted other countries to step up.”It’s not a US problem. It’s an international problem,” he said, before embarking on trade talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.He accused Hamas of intercepting aid, saying “they’re stealing the food, they’re stealing a lot of things. You ship it in and they steal it, then they sell it.”Truckloads of food reached hungry Gazans on Monday after Israel promised to open secure aid routes and declared a “tactical pause” in fighting in parts of the territory.But humanitarian agencies warned vast amounts more were needed to counter starvation.United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urged international action against hunger. “Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war,” he told a UN conference.- Tariffs -Last week, the United States and Israel withdrew from Gaza truce talks, with US envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of blocking a deal — a claim rejected by the Palestinian militant group.Starmer held talks with French and German counterparts on Saturday, after which the UK government said they agreed “it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace”.But the Downing Street statement made no mention of Palestinian statehood, which French President Emmanuel Macron has announced his country will recognise in September.More than 220 MPs in Britain’s 650-seat parliament, including dozens from Starmer’s own Labour party, have demanded that he too recognise Palestinian statehood.Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told ITV on Monday that “every Labour MP, was elected on a manifesto of recognition of a Palestinian state” and that it was “a case of when, not if.”The UK-US trade deal was signed on May 8 and lowered tariffs for certain UK exports but has yet to come into force.Trump said Sunday the agreement was “great” for both sides but Reynolds told the BBC that “it wasn’t job done” and cautioned not to expect any announcement of a resolution on issues such as steel and aluminium tariffs.After their meeting the two leaders will travel to Aberdeen in Scotland’s northeast, where the US president is to open a new golf course at his resort on Tuesday.Trump played golf at Turnberry on Saturday and Sunday on a five-day visit that has mixed leisure with diplomacy, and also further blurred the lines between the presidency and his business interests.

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Pesticides: la pétition contre la loi Duplomb franchit la barre des deux millions de signatures

La mobilisation citoyenne se poursuit: la pétition contre la loi Duplomb, qui permet notamment la réintroduction sous conditions, d’un pesticide, interdit en France depuis 2018, a dépassé lundi la barre des deux millions de signatures sur le site de l’Assemblée nationale.”Aujourd’hui je suis seule à écrire, mais non seule à le penser”, affirmait le 10 juillet, pour conclure son texte, Eleonore Pattery, une étudiante de 23 ans. Dix-sept jours plus tard, les faits continuent de lui donner raison, même si le rythme des signatures ralentit.Sa pétition avait déjà atteint les 500.000 signatures le 19 juillet, une première sur le portail de l’Assemblée, ce qui ouvre la voie à l’organisation d’un nouveau débat dans l’hémicycle.Sa portée sera toutefois limitée: si les différents groupes politiques pourront exprimer leurs positions, il ne permettra pas, seul, de revenir sur les dispositions déjà adoptées. La pression s’accentue en tout cas un peu plus sur le gouvernement, sommé par la gauche, les ONG et désormais une partie non négligeable de l’opinion publique d’abroger le texte.Un sondage de Cluster17 pour le parti Génération Écologie, dans La Tribune Dimanche, confirme ce sentiment de défiance: 61% des personnes interrogées se disent défavorables à cette loi, dont 46% “très défavorables”. Elles sont 64% à souhaiter qu’Emmanuel Macron ne promulgue pas le texte et qu’il le soumette à une nouvelle délibération au Parlement.”Historique”, ont commenté les Écologistes sur X, demandant de ne pas laisser les Français “sans réponse” et le réexamen du texte par l’Assemblée.”Face à cette mobilisation citoyenne historique, le gouvernement doit rouvrir le débat à l’Assemblée nationale”, a abondé le PS.La pétition a été abondamment relayée sur les réseaux sociaux par des ONG, des partis politiques mais aussi des personnalités.Elle demande l’abrogation “immédiate” de la loi, “la révision démocratique des conditions dans lesquelles elle a été adoptée”, alors qu’il n’y a pas eu de réel débat dans l’hémicycle, et une “consultation citoyenne des acteurs de la santé, de l’agriculture, de l’écologie et du droit” sur les sujets soulevés.”Il est inconcevable qu’un texte adopté dans des conditions indignes entre en vigueur”, a dénoncé Mathilde Panot, la cheffe des députés insoumis, demandant elle aussi une seconde délibération.- “Fait de société” -“Ce que dit cette pétition, ce n’est plus un fait divers à ce niveau-là, c’est un fait de société”, a estimé sur franceinfo le Haut-commissaire au Plan Clément Beaune, pour qui “ce n’est pas la loi Duplomb qui est contestée par beaucoup de nos concitoyens, beaucoup de jeunes en particulier, mais c’est plus largement les reculs écologiques récents”.Outre des mesures sur les retenues d’eau ou les seuils d’autorisation environnementale des bâtiments d’élevage, la loi “Duplomb-Menonville”, du nom des sénateurs de droite et du centre qui l’ont portée, cristallise les critiques en raison de la réintroduction sous conditions d’un pesticide, l’acétamipride, interdit en France depuis 2018, mais autorisé en Europe.Son utilisation est réclamée par les producteurs de betteraves et de noisettes, qui estiment n’avoir aucune alternative contre les ravageurs et subir une concurrence déloyale de leurs concurrents européens. A contrario, les apiculteurs mettent en garde contre “un tueur d’abeilles”. Ses effets sur l’humain sont aussi source de préoccupations, même si les risques restent incertains, faute d’études d’ampleur.Le texte, adopté définitivement au Parlement après un parcours législatif très agité, attend désormais le couperet du Conseil constitutionnel, saisi par la gauche, qui rendra sa décision “a priori” le 7 août et pourrait censurer toute ou partie de la loi. – Concilier “science” et “juste concurrence” -Le président de la République a dit attendre la décision des Sages avant de s’exprimer sur la pétition. Il a appelé à concilier “science” et “juste concurrence” en matière environnementale, selon ses mots mercredi en Conseil des ministres, rapportées par la porte-parole du gouvernement Sophie Primas.C’est à lui que reviendra le droit de promulguer la loi ou de demander une seconde délibération au Parlement.Le camp présidentiel ne parle pas d’une seule voix.La ministre de l’Agriculture Annie Genevard (LR) a affirmé que le texte serait “de toute façon promulgué”, estimant qu’il serait “extrêmement périlleux” d’organiser une seconde délibération.D’autres ont demandé une saisine de l’Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire (Anses), comme le patron du parti présidentiel Renaissance, Gabriel Attal, soutenu par la ministre de la Transition écologique Agnès Pannier-Runacher.Le gouvernement s’est dit “disponible” pour un débat au Parlement.Le sénateur Les Républicains Laurent Duplomb a, lui, dénoncé ces derniers jours “l’instrumentalisation par l’extrême gauche et les écologistes” de cette pétition.