The United States and Russia clashed on Friday over how to assist ailing Venezuela, with Moscow pledging new relief channelled through President Nicolas Maduro and Washington slapping sanctions over the blocking of US aid it tried to force through the border.
US-China trade talks aimed at ending a damaging tariff war will resume from this Tuesday in Washington, the White House has announced. The last set of talks ended Friday in Beijing with no deal, though US President Donald Trump said the discussions were going “extremely well” and suggested he could extend a Mar 1 truce deadline for an agreement to be reached.
United States negotiators are preparing to press China next week on longstanding demands that it reform how it treats American companies’ intellectual property in order to seal a trade deal that could prevent tariffs from rising on Chinese imports.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping soon to try to seal a comprehensive trade deal as Trump and his top trade negotiator both cited substantial progress in two days of high-level talks.
The US has imposed sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil firm PDVSA and urged the country's military to accept a peaceful transfer of power. National Security Adviser John Bolton said President Nicolás Maduro and his allies could no longer loot the assets of the Venezuelan people. Efforts by the opposition to unseat Mr Maduro have increased in recent days.
United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has made calls to the heads of the country's six largest banks, a move to reassure investors after huge falls in US stocks. Last week, US stocks suffered one of the worst weekly falls in a decade as an interest rate rise and US-China trade tensions rattled markets.
A senior US official has held talks with Saudi Arabia's crown prince in Riyadh, despite growing concern over the Saudis' role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met Mohammed bin Salman on Monday.
The United States federal budget deficit rose in fiscal 2018 to the highest level in six years as spending climbed, the Trump administration said. The deficit jumped to US$ 779 billion, US$ 113 billion or 17% higher than the previous fiscal period, according to a statement from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney.
United States has refrained from labeling China a currency manipulator in a move which may help defuse escalating tension over trade between the two countries. President Trump has previously accused China of keeping its currency weak to make its exports more competitive.
A number of top US officials have denied that they are the author of a damning anonymous editorial that attacks President Donald Trump. The New York Times article, said to be written by a senior White House official, point out Mr Trump's appointees are trying to stifle his agenda.