China, US sign duelling deals after agreeing to trade war truce

China and the United States have agreed to a temporary, partial truce in their unprecedented trade war, but their heated rivalry is far from over.

As the dust settles in the wake of April’s frenzied tariff battle and Monday’s deal that saw import duties drop 115 per cent on both sides, the world’s two largest economies are actively courting emerging markets to gain the upper hand in the event tensions flare up again.

As US President Donald Trump travelled to the Middle East for the first overseas trip of his second term, a flurry of trade and investment deals were signed in Beijing on Tuesday during the state visit of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Here, we summarise the recent agreements struck by China and the US, and examine what their actions reveal about their intent as global dynamics continue to shift.

What deals did China make with Brazil?

The People’s Bank of China renewed a 190 billion yuan (US$26.38 billion) bilateral currency swap agreement with Brazil, valid for five years. The deal is expected to boost local currency use, encourage trade and investment and support the financial stability of both countries, according to the central bank. Both sides also pledged to fight money laundering.

South China Morning Post