US trade deals multiply but are offering little certainty or durability

A wave of new trade agreements under Trump 2.0 offers concessions to Asian partners, but their executive-order nature leaves room for renegotiation and continued uncertainty

Even as the United States Supreme Court began hearing the case on the validity of the President’s powers to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), there has been a flurry of trade announcements by the White House trade team.  Apart from a reversal of reciprocal tariffs on agricultural items ranging from tomatoes and avocados to beef and some fertilisers — announced soon after the Democrats’ victory in key US states and cities in the first major election in Trump 2.0 — negotiations towards several trade deals were also stated to have been concluded.