On February 2, 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued an official announcement, launching a tariff exemption procedure for specific imported vehicles. This process allows importers to apply for partial or full exemptions from previously imposed "Section 232" tariffs by demonstrating the "U.S. content" of their products. For Section 232 tariffs already in effect, the Commerce Department has opened a conditional exemption application window for certain trucks, buses, and their components.

According to CCTV News, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his social-media platform Truth Social on 2 February that he had spoken with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reached a U.S.-India trade agreement.According to Trump, the United States has reduced the "reciprocal tariff" rate on India from 25% to 18%, effective immediately.

On 29 January 2026 Ukraine’s Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade published several findings that Chinese-origin steel products had been re-routed through Malaysia to dodge anti-dumping duties. Kiev will therefore levy the original Chinese AD rates on the corresponding Malaysian shipments, ranging from 32.6 % to 67.4 %.

After nearly 20 years of talks, India and the European Union have finally initialled what both sides call the “largest free-trade agreement in history.”The pact will make European goods far more competitive in India: peak tariffs on EU cars shipped to India will fall from 110 % to just 10 %, while Brussels will scrap or cut duties on 99.5 % of Indian exports over seven years.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission today issued a landmark notice opening a sweeping investigation into the chassis practices of every container line serving U.S. trades. The probe will examine whether carriers’ conduct is fair and reasonable, and if it violates the Shipping Act—specifically by unjustly or unreasonably restricting motor carriers and shippers from choosing their own chassis suppliers. Industry watchers expect the outcome could profoundly reshape how containers move through American ports.

China’s auto-export landscape redrawn: Mexico overtakes Russia as top destination
Fresh data from CPCA Secretary-General Cui Dongshu show that in 2025 China shipped 625,200 vehicles to Mexico, up 180,500 units year-on-year, making Mexico the No. 1 export market for the first time. Russia, long the largest buyer, slipped to 582,700 units.

Trade and economic co-operation under the Belt and Road initiative chalked up a fresh report card in 2025, Vice-Minister of Commerce Yan Dong told a State Council Information Office press conference on 26 January, summarising the year in three “news”.Merchandise trade between China and B&R partners reached RMB 23.6 trillion, up 6.3 %—2.5 percentage points faster than overall trade—and lifted the partners’ share to 51.9 %.

On 23 January local time President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced that Brazil will waive short-term visas for holders of ordinary Chinese passports, reciprocating Beijing’s 30-day visa-free scheme for Brazilians that has been in force since June 2025.

A rash of fast-moving wildfires has forced Chile to declare a nationwide “disaster state” and is disrupting port operations. Fires that began in the south have damaged transport infrastructure and are now affecting terminals along the coast

China’s transformer exports hit an all-time high in 2025. Against a backdrop of global grid-equipment shortages and soaring prices, the value of China’s supply chain has been thrown into sharp relief.According to the General Administration of Customs, China’s transformer exports in 2025 reached a record RMB 646 billion, up nearly 36 percent year-on-year.