Voice of America Business News

FILE - U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks at the White House in Washington on Feb. 3, 2025. Bessent spoke with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng by phone on Feb. 21, expressing frustration with that nation's efforts at rebalancing its economy.

Vehicles are parked to be exported at a port next to Hyundai Motor's manufacturing facility in Ulsan, South Korea, Feb. 11, 2025.

Cars for export are seen at a port in Yantai, China's eastern province of Shandong, on Feb. 20, 2025.

Currency traders monitor market activity at the foreign exchange dealing room of KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 17, 2025.

Johkiya Pierre prepares a fresh omelet at The Breakfast Brothers restaurant, Feb. 12, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. Johkiya Pierre cracks eggs while preparing an omelet at The Breakfast Brothers restaurant, Feb. 12, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.

FILE - A gas station attendant pumps fuel into a customer's car at a PetroChina station in Nantong, Jiangsu province, China, March 28, 2018. China's demand for road and air transport fuels may have passed its peak, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Feb. 13, 2025.

An aerial view shows containers at the port in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province, Feb. 4, 2025. FILE - President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He shake hands after signing "phase one" of a U.S. - China trade agreement, in the East Room of the White House, Jan. 15, 2020, in Washington.

FILE - Steel rolls are seen at a holding area at a factory in Nantong in China's eastern Jiangsu province on March 1, 2022. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels from West Palm Beach, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana, Feb. 9, 2025.

FILE - A scooter passes the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District, Dec. 17, 2024. Stock prices fell Feb. 7, 2025, as investors fretted about inflation and tariffs.

FILE - A U.S. Postal Service employee loads parcels outside a post office in Wheeling, Illinois, Jan. 29, 2024.

Chief Executive Officer at De Beers Group, Al Cook, and Botswana's Minister of Mineral and Energy, Bogolo Kenewendo, meet for talks on a diamond deal at the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, Feb. 3, 2025.

FILE - Indians take photos of a Harley Davidson motorcycle during the Auto Expo in New Delhi, Jan. 7, 2012. India says it will cut duties on a range of imports that could help increase American imports to India, including high end motorcycles and cars.

FILE - This photo provided by Abdul Nasser Saleh shows the deck of the cargo ship Al-Maha, abandoned by its owners, at the seaport of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in January 2024. FILE - This combination of photos provided by Abdul Nasser Saleh shows the galley and dining area of the cargo ship Al-Maha, abandoned by its owners, at the seaport of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in January 2024.

FILE - Shoppers pass displays of goods in a Costco warehouse, Feb. 25, 2024, in Sheridan, Colo. The Trump administration will implement 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods and a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports on Feb. 1, 2025. FILE - Employees work on a production line making lithium battery products at a factory in Yichang, China, May 28, 2019. The Trump administration will place a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports Feb. 1, 2025. (Reuters/Stringer) FILE - Workers sort avocados at a packing plant in Uruapan, Mexico, Nov. 27, 2024. The Trump administration will levy a 25% tariff on Mexican goods coming into the U.S. on Feb. 1, 2025. FILE - People buy groceries at a Walmart Superstore in Secaucus, N.J., July 11, 2024. FILE - Bottles of canola oil made by Canadian agribusiness firm Richardson International are seen on a store shelf in China, March 6, 2019. The Trump administration will be implementing 25% tariffs on Canadian goods coming into the U.S. on Feb. 1, 2025.