Australia is actively seeking increased global investment in its rare earths sector to address strategic supply chain risks. The country, along with China, is a major supplier of rare earths, crucial for applications in the energy transition and defense, such as electric vehicle motors…

South Korea’s top economic officials have launched an urgent diplomatic push in Washington this week, hoping to avert punitive U.S. tariffs on Korean exports before an August 1 deadline set by President Donald Trump. The effort underscores Seoul’s high-stakes struggle to protect its industrial base and preserve a critical trade relationship at a time of growing global economic fragmentation and intensifying U.S.-China competition.

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, speaking before departing for Washington, pledged to seek a “mutually beneficial” agreement when he meets U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday. Koo said he would present a South Korean “programme” aimed at expanding bilateral economic cooperation, particularly in areas such as shipbuilding, a strategic industry where both countries are looking to counter Chinese overcapacity and geopolitical influence.

The Trump administration’s sweeping trade tariff agenda has triggered a profound shift in the global economic order, prompting both confusion and debate among economists, markets, and even Trump’s own advisers. President Trump claims that tariffs will serve multiple purposes: reviving U.S. manufacturing, raising government revenue, restoring trade balance, and leveraging better deals with allies.

While some close to the administration support these aims, others view them as overly ambitious or contradictory. Despite internal disagreements, there’s a clear consensus among several Trump advisers: tariffs are here to stay. Even if trade deals are struck, they say, the post-negotiation landscape will still feature elevated U.S. tariffs as a structural feature of the new paradigm Trump is trying to create.