Tension between America and China in the trade war is rising again

Good morning! The most important news on this Monday morning:

China accuses the United States to violate the trade agreements from May on Monday ‘serious’. That writes the Financial Times. Three weeks ago, the two largest economies in the world in Geneva, Switzerland, announced a temporary resistant in the trade war, in which in return taxes of up to 145 percent were announced.

US President Trump accused China to violate the agreements made last Friday, among other things by exporting many more rare earth materials towards the US since 12 May. The Chinese government now refers to by saying that it is the Americans who do not comply with the agreements.

According to a statement from the Chinese government, the US harms China’s interests, among other things, by warning Huawei chips worldwide, blocking the sale of software to Chinese chip companies and the exclusion of Chinese students from the US.

The two countries are still in discussion on definitive trade agreements. The American finance minister said on Sunday at TV channel CBS that President Trump and Chinese President Xi will soon come to the table.

In addition, the US government is also planning to impose new import duties on the EU, or at least to make more favorable trade agreements with Europe. The ruling of the International Trade Court last week-in which the global taxes of the Trump government were called unlawful – yields ‘maybe a week’ delay, said the American Handelsminister Howard Lutnick at Sunday at Fox News.

According to Minister Lutnick, the US and the EU will continue to negotiate new agreements this week. If nothing comes out of it, the US wants to introduce the previously announced introduction of 50 percent on products from the EU from 9 June.

In the meantime, uncertainty about the trade war remains the world economy harm. News agency Reuters Message Monday morning That factories in Japan and South Korea showed less activity in the month of May than in the month before. Due to the trade war, many Asian economies also showed a contraction in the first quarter of 2025.

What do we see further this morning?

• More than one in five people are awake from the permanent housing costs. One in three people with a mortgage says they can only just pay the housing costs. According to a study by National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG) about which the NOS Monday, among others message;
• Many large companies have set up ambitious climate goals in recent years. But many of those companies have weakened their green goals again in the past year, writes Het Financieele Dagblad Based on the sustainability reports that the AEX companies have published in recent months. For example, Ahold Delhaize announced that the previously set goals for plastic recycling will not achieve;
• The Tesla-Schaame, fed by the political activities of Founder Elon Muskseems to be taking something – but is not gone yet. In April only 382 new Tesla’s were sold in the Netherlands, in May there were just over a thousand. That is still a lot less than the 1,660 Tesla’s sold in May 2024. That is apparent from figures Those car industry organizations RAI Association, BOVAG and RDC published on Sunday. In total, 30,188 new cars were sold in the Netherlands last month, 7 percent more than a year earlier.