International Trade

The U.S. trade deficit widened in August to the biggest in six months as soybean exports plunged and a measure of the gap with China hit a record, showing how the Trump administration’s trade war is dragging on economic growth.

The U.S. is pressing Japan to cede more ground on trade even before the first round of talks on tariff reductions takes place, prompting pushback from Tokyo.

Hong Kong has long marketed itself as the gateway into China for foreign businesses, especially the U.S. With a trade war now raging between the world’s two largest economies, that’s precisely the problem.

The trifecta of tariffs, lackluster prices and near-perfect growing conditions means space is limited.