--- title: "Trade Policy — News & Analysis | Model Diplomat" description: "Browse 242 stories and expert analysis tagged Trade Policy on Model Diplomat — diplomacy, politics, and global-affairs coverage for Model UN." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/tag/trade-policy" --- > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://modeldiplomat.com/llms.txt). Skip to main content ## 242 Stories [conflict_security](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/west-africa-food-crisis-three-shocks-in-2026) ### [West Africa Food Crisis: Three Shocks in 2026](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/west-africa-food-crisis-three-shocks-in-2026) [Conflict, climate extremes, and the Strait of Hormuz closure drive a severe food crisis in West and Central Africa, with fertilizer prices surging 80% and millions displaced.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/west-africa-food-crisis-three-shocks-in-2026) [2026-07-29](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/west-africa-food-crisis-three-shocks-in-2026) [economics_markets](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-tariffs-on-brazil-a-political-play) ### [US Tariffs on Brazil: A Political Play](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-tariffs-on-brazil-a-political-play) [US imposes 25% tariff on Brazil but exempts 66% of exports, targeting manufactured goods ahead of Brazil's October election. Analysis of the political calculus, exemptions, and Brazil's response options.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-tariffs-on-brazil-a-political-play) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-tariffs-on-brazil-a-political-play) [tech_policy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-restarts-china-export-controls-with-52-ent) ### [US Restarts China Export Controls With 52-Ent](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-restarts-china-export-controls-with-52-ent) [US Commerce Department adds 52 Chinese entities to Entity List and tightens controls on five-axis CNC machine tools, ending eight-month enforcement pause after Trump-Xi Busan truce.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-restarts-china-export-controls-with-52-ent) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-restarts-china-export-controls-with-52-ent) [economics_markets](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-50-tariff-on-canada-ends-usmcas-tar) ### [Trump's 50% Tariff on Canada Ends USMCA's Tar](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-50-tariff-on-canada-ends-usmcas-tar) [Trump invokes Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 for the first time, imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods and ending the USMCA tariff shield.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-50-tariff-on-canada-ends-usmcas-tar) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-50-tariff-on-canada-ends-usmcas-tar) [economics_markets](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trump-fires-96-year-old-tariff-cannon-at) ### [Trump Fires 96-Year-Old Tariff Cannon at](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trump-fires-96-year-old-tariff-cannon-at) [Trump signs 50% tariffs on $20B of Canadian goods using Section 338 of Tariff Act of 1930, breaching USMCA for first time. Canada faces pressure as Mexico negotiates separately.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trump-fires-96-year-old-tariff-cannon-at) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trump-fires-96-year-old-tariff-cannon-at) [tech_policy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/singapore-japan-digital-zone-sidelines-us) ### [Singapore-Japan Digital Zone Sidelines US](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/singapore-japan-digital-zone-sidelines-us) [Singapore and Japan sign March 2026 Strategic Partnership merging digital governance, cutting data barriers, and aligning AI rules — while the US remains absent from the new Indo-Pacific digital trade architecture.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/singapore-japan-digital-zone-sidelines-us) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/singapore-japan-digital-zone-sidelines-us) [economics_markets](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/russias-crypto-law-sanctions-evasion-by-law) ### [Russia's Crypto Law: Sanctions-Evasion by Law](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/russias-crypto-law-sanctions-evasion-by-law) [Russia's State Duma passes a comprehensive crypto law legalizing digital currency for all foreign trade settlements, transforming sanctions-evasion workarounds into state-backed financial infrastructure.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/russias-crypto-law-sanctions-evasion-by-law) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/russias-crypto-law-sanctions-evasion-by-law) [economics_markets](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/pentagons-162-day-supply-chain-reckoning) ### [Pentagon's 162-Day Supply Chain Reckoning](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/pentagons-162-day-supply-chain-reckoning) [Trump's July 20 executive order closes the waiver loophole for Chinese-origin critical materials in defense systems and mandates full supply chain mapping. With zero U.S. heavy rare earth separation capacity and $7.6 billion in investments yet to produce output, the January 1, 2027 deadline faces a steep compliance cliff.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/pentagons-162-day-supply-chain-reckoning) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/pentagons-162-day-supply-chain-reckoning) [tech_policy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/indias-ai-law-market-access-over-safety) ### [India's AI Law: Market Access Over Safety](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/indias-ai-law-market-access-over-safety) [India drafts standalone AI law with consent requirements for synthetic content and curbs on agentic AI, raising compliance costs for foreign providers while creating a protected domestic governance industry.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/indias-ai-law-market-access-over-safety) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/indias-ai-law-market-access-over-safety) [economics_markets](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/brazil-becomes-trumps-section-301-guinea-pig) ### [Brazil Becomes Trump's Section 301 Guinea Pig](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/brazil-becomes-trumps-section-301-guinea-pig) [Brazil faces a 25% US tariff from July 22, 2026, as the first test of Trump's post-IEEPA Section 301 regime. Exemptions covering 65% of exports reveal US industrial dependence.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/brazil-becomes-trumps-section-301-guinea-pig) [2026-07-22](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/brazil-becomes-trumps-section-301-guinea-pig) [tech_policy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/sk-hynix-cxmt-ipos-fueled-by-chip-shortage) ### [SK Hynix, CXMT IPOs Fueled by Chip Shortage](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/sk-hynix-cxmt-ipos-fueled-by-chip-shortage) [SK Hynix raises $26.5B in record US IPO while China's CXMT targets $10B Shanghai listing. Both deals are underwritten by the same global memory shortage, with Chey Tae-won's chipflation warning as the backdrop.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/sk-hynix-cxmt-ipos-fueled-by-chip-shortage) [2026-07-21](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/sk-hynix-cxmt-ipos-fueled-by-chip-shortage) [climate_energy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/iea-warns-critical-mineral-supply-crisis-deep) ### [IEA Warns Critical Mineral Supply Crisis Deep](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/iea-warns-critical-mineral-supply-crisis-deep) [IEA's 2026 Global Critical Minerals Outlook warns that export controls and price volatility are deterring private investment, deepening China's refining dominance and threatening $6.5 trillion in downstream production.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/iea-warns-critical-mineral-supply-crisis-deep) [2026-07-21](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/iea-warns-critical-mineral-supply-crisis-deep) [climate_energy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/g7-turns-latin-american-lithium-into-a-geop) ### [G7 Turns Latin American Lithium Into a Geop](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/g7-turns-latin-american-lithium-into-a-geop) [G7's binding 60% rare-earth diversification target by 2030 turns Latin America's lithium and copper into geopolitical chokepoints, pitting China's unconditional capital against Western conditional market access.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/g7-turns-latin-american-lithium-into-a-geop) [2026-07-21](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/g7-turns-latin-american-lithium-into-a-geop) [climate_energy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/forrest-bets-a190m-on-tungsten-before-us-ban) ### [Forrest Bets A$190M on Tungsten Before US Ban](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/forrest-bets-a190m-on-tungsten-before-us-ban) [Andrew Forrest invests A$190M in EQ Resources 164 days before a US defense ban on Chinese tungsten takes effect. China controls 80% of supply; the West has no domestic production.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/forrest-bets-a190m-on-tungsten-before-us-ban) [2026-07-21](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/forrest-bets-a190m-on-tungsten-before-us-ban) [climate_energy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/critical-mineral-supply-chains-more-concentr) ### [Critical Mineral Supply Chains More Concentr](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/critical-mineral-supply-chains-more-concentr) [IEA 2026 data shows top three refining nations control 86% of critical mineral processing, up from 82% in 2020. Low prices lock in China's dominance as Western diversification efforts lag.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/critical-mineral-supply-chains-more-concentr) [2026-07-21](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/critical-mineral-supply-chains-more-concentr) [latin_america](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/colombias-20b-venezuela-reconstruction-play) ### [Colombia's $20B Venezuela Reconstruction Play](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/colombias-20b-venezuela-reconstruction-play) [Colombia's president-elect names retail veteran Jorge Jaller as Venezuela envoy, prioritizing commercial access to $12-20 billion earthquake reconstruction over traditional diplomacy.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/colombias-20b-venezuela-reconstruction-play) [2026-07-21](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/colombias-20b-venezuela-reconstruction-play) [tech_policy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/the-trillion-dollar-company-that-one-bill-in) ### [The Trillion-Dollar Company That One Bill in](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/the-trillion-dollar-company-that-one-bill-in) [ASML's path to a trillion-dollar valuation hinges on the MATCH Act, a U.S. bill that would ban sales of chipmaking tools to China, threatening 27% of its revenue.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/the-trillion-dollar-company-that-one-bill-in) [2026-07-20](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/the-trillion-dollar-company-that-one-bill-in) [climate_energy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/south-koreas-mongolian-mineral-bet-runs-into) ### [South Korea's Mongolian Mineral Bet Runs Into](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/south-koreas-mongolian-mineral-bet-runs-into) [South Korea signs trade pact with Mongolia for rare earths and copper, but 90% of exports must cross China or Russia — Beijing has already weaponized its rare earth monopoly.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/south-koreas-mongolian-mineral-bet-runs-into) [2026-07-20](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/south-koreas-mongolian-mineral-bet-runs-into) [climate_energy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/seouls-mongolian-mineral-bet-is-a-gamble) ### [Seoul's Mongolian Mineral Bet Is a Gamble](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/seouls-mongolian-mineral-bet-is-a-gamble) [South Korea signs a comprehensive economic partnership with Mongolia to secure critical minerals, relying on an air bridge over China to bypass the landlocked nation's transit vulnerability.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/seouls-mongolian-mineral-bet-is-a-gamble) [2026-07-20](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/seouls-mongolian-mineral-bet-is-a-gamble) [economics_markets](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-10-tariff-expires-july-24) ### [Trump's 10% Tariff Expires July 24](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-10-tariff-expires-july-24) [Trump's 10% universal tariff expires July 24, replaced by a two-tier Section 301 forced-labor tariff. Countries with bilateral deals pay 10%; others face 12.5%. $86B in IEEPA refunds paid.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-10-tariff-expires-july-24) [2026-07-19](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-10-tariff-expires-july-24) [climate_energy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/iea-warns-mineral-supply-risks-deepen) ### [IEA Warns Mineral Supply Risks Deepen](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/iea-warns-mineral-supply-risks-deepen) [IEA 2026 outlook finds critical mineral supply chains more concentrated than ever, with investment down 9% and $6.5 trillion in downstream production at risk from China's export controls.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/iea-warns-mineral-supply-risks-deepen) [2026-07-19](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/iea-warns-mineral-supply-risks-deepen) [tech_policy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/eu-orders-google-to-open-ai-and-search-data) ### [EU Orders Google to Open AI and Search Data](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/eu-orders-google-to-open-ai-and-search-data) [EU orders Google to open Android AI features and share search data with rivals under the DMA, targeting its data flywheel. OpenAI and Anthropic stand to gain.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/eu-orders-google-to-open-ai-and-search-data) [2026-07-19](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/eu-orders-google-to-open-ai-and-search-data) [africa](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/congo-ships-first-lithium-beijing-wins-race) ### [Congo Ships First Lithium, Beijing Wins Race](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/congo-ships-first-lithium-beijing-wins-race) [Zijin Mining ships DRC's first lithium exports to China, locking in a first-mover advantage as U.S. legal and infrastructure efforts fail to deliver a single tonne of concentrate.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/congo-ships-first-lithium-beijing-wins-race) [2026-07-19](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/congo-ships-first-lithium-beijing-wins-race) [climate_energy](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/chinas-rare-earth-strategy-shifts-to-co-opt) ### [China's Rare Earth Strategy Shifts to Co-Opt](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/chinas-rare-earth-strategy-shifts-to-co-opt) [China's rare earth strategy shifts from export bans to 'strategic co-option' in Malaysia and Indonesia, embedding technology and state-owned firms inside foreign processing hubs to control supply chains even as rivals build them.](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/chinas-rare-earth-strategy-shifts-to-co-opt) [2026-07-19](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/chinas-rare-earth-strategy-shifts-to-co-opt)