International
The tariff truce with China does not clear the crisis in the largest port of the United States.
The 90-day tariff truce between the United States and China barely represents a respite for the port of Los Angeles, the most active in North America and the most affected by an unprecedented trade war from which it will be difficult to recover.
The impact of the taxes on the Asian country disarmed activity in the largest port in the United States with a collapse of 32% and 35% in ship traffic in the last two weeks, a heavy blow to one of the main engines of the state of California, which had not experienced a similar crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although on paper the temporary agreement between Trump and China, which comes into force this Wednesday, is favorable for trade between both sides, its wound leaves open a deep hole in the ports of the west coast that is difficult to stop.
Last Friday morning, no cargo ship had left China with goods to the two main ports on the west coast in the last 12 hours, according to port officials told CNN, an unprecedented scene in the last five years.
Nor were there the 41 ships that were planned to leave China for San Pedro Bay, which includes the piers of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California.
The latter stands out for being one of the key pillars in the economic vitality of the United States, since the port of Long Beach generates 2.7 million jobs worldwide, including more than 1.1 million in California, according to the website.
To the sharp drop in port activity is added the uncertainty in the rise in prices of items from China and the impact to absorb the economic and employment losses generated by ships that never reached their final destination in the midst of the tariff war.
Shipments from China represent about 45% of the business of the port of Los Angeles, which over the years has been increasing its commercial cargo: last year it received 10.3 million containers, a record 1.7 million TEU (maritime cargo unit, equivalent to a 20-foot container), almost 20% more than in 2023.
The truce does not convince the maritime transport sectors, restless about another uncertain panorama that pushes them to drift, without a plan to correct the impact of the decrease in imports in the busiest ports of the United States.
“The reduction of taxes between the US and China is good news for consumers, the US business, workers and the supply chain. To avoid further uncertainty and disruption of trade, both parties must work together quickly towards a long-term agreement,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the port of Los Angeles, in a statement.
The representative of the port activity of Los Angeles has presented himself in the last month as an iron whistleblower of the serious consequences of the tariffs imposed on China.
The United States has been imposing tariffs on China since April 2 and incurred a reprisal that reached 145% in the midst of the trade war. The Asian country responded with the same currency and applied taxes of 125% on US imports.
After last Sunday’s meeting between Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the powers consolidated a 30% tariff for China and 10% for the United States for a period of three months in which they hope to agree on a framework that favors both parties.
The National Federation of Retailers also applauded this temporary agreement, “which allows a significant de-escalation of the current trade relationship,” its executive director, Matthew Shay, said in a letter.
But they are not satisfied with these reforms: “We urge the Administration and our Chinese trading partners to continue talks to address current problems, work to eliminate the remaining tariffs for national security reasons and ensure long-term stability between the world’s two largest economies,” he said.
“If the situation does not change quickly, I mean the uncertainty we are experiencing, we could see empty products on the shelves. The consumer will notice it in the next 30 days,” said the executive director of the Port of Long Beach, Mario Cordero, according to CNN.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
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