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China’s Xi calls on top executives to help ‘uphold global order’ as trade tensions with U.S. rise

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China’s and U.S.’ flags are seen printed on paper in this illustration taken January 27, 2022. 

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with global executives and made a case for investing in the country, as Beijing focuses on reaching out to businesses amid escalating trade tensions with the U.S.

He said multinational companies had a big responsibility to “uphold global order” and that they needed to work hand in hand with China.

He emphasized that China was a safe and stable place for foreign companies. “To invest in China is to invest in tomorrow,” he said in Mandarin translated by CNBC. 

Echoing recent policy plans, Xi said that China would ensure fair opportunities for foreign businesses to participate in government procurement bids.

More than 40 people, mostly foreign executives and business officials, attended the roundtable meeting with Xi, including Bridgewater Associates’ Ray Dalio, Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters  and Blackstone Group CEO Steve Schwartzman.

U.S. President Donald Trump has raised tariffs by 20% on China since January over its alleged role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis, and threatened a swath of new tariffs on major trading partners starting early April. Trump this week said he might reduce China tariffs to help close a deal that forces Beijing-based ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations.

The U.S. this week also added dozens of Chinese tech companies to its export blacklist, the first such restrictions under the Trump administration.

China has increased its trade with Southeast Asian countries and the European Union, but the U.S. remains Beijing’s largest trading partner on a single-country basis.

Xi said U.S.-China trade tensions should be resolved through negotiations. “We need to work for the stability of global supply chains,” he added, noting there was no way out under decoupling.

Politburo standing committee member Cai Qi, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Vice Premier He Lifeng also attended the meeting along with the heads of China’s economic planning agency, finance ministry and commerce ministry.

In a sign of how Beijing seeks to offset trade pressures, rather than retaliate forcefully, China courted the executives of major U.S. businesses at a state-backed annual conference that ran from Sunday to Monday. Apple CEO Tim Cook was among the executives who attended, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk was conspicuous by his absence.

Also on Sunday, U.S. Republican Senator Steve Daines met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing — the first time a U.S. politician has visited China since Trump began his latest term in January.

“This was the first step to an important next step, which will be a meeting between President Xi and President Trump,” Daines told the Wall Street Journal. “When that occurs and where it occurs is to be determined.”

The White House did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Li urged cooperation and said no one can gain from a trade war, according to state media.

Top executives of major firms including FedEx, Pfizer, Cargill, Qualcomm and Boeing as well as U.S.-China Business Council President Sean Stein were also present at Daines’ meeting with Li, according to a foreign media pool report.

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Finance

What the Trump tax bill means for your wallet

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President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” cleared the House and is making its way through the Senate. 

Still, critics point out the bill, which is over 1,000 pages, will add trillions to what is already ballooning government debt hovering at $36 trillion and deficits. However, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent believes this can be managed. 

“We think that we can both grow the economy and control the debt. What’s important, Bill, is that we grow the economy faster than the debt. What I would tell your viewers to focus on, what I am focused on, what Secretary Yellen was focused on is what is the total debt to GDP because we can grow our way out of this,” Bessent said during an appearance Friday on Fox’s “America’s Newsroom” with Bill Hemmer. 

NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER: AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) ARE NOW ON THE HOOK FOR $36,214,475,432,210

Still, the bill contains several provisions that will benefit American workers and everyday households. FOX Business explains how your money may be affected. 

NO TAX ON TIPS

Hardworking Americans won’t have to pay taxes on the tips they make. While this is good for service employees, it may mean lost revenue for the government…continue reading here

No tax on tips

A tip jar on the counter at a coffee shop. (iStock / iStock)

401(k) FOR BABIES & CHILD TAX CREDITS

Typically, you start a 401(k) when you begin working, getting matched contributions from your employer. The bill may expand similar investment vehicles to newborns and other child tax credits…continue reading here.

trump tax bill, child tax credit

Little girl sleeping (iStock / iStock)

SALT

High-tax blue states, such as New York, likely secured a win with a big bump for SALT, a deduction for state and local taxes, previously capped at $10,000…continue reading here

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SALT deduction to rise

The Midtown Manhattan skyline in New York City April 8, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

AUTO LOANS INTEREST FREE  

If you own or buy a car made in the U.S. using an auto loan, the interest is on track to be eligible for a deduction…continue reading here.

no tax on auto loan interest

Vehicles for sale at an AutoNation Honda dealership in Fremont, Calif., June 24, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

MEDICAID SAFE? 

Trump made it clear the Medicaid program, which provides basically free health insurance to Americans who meet income requirements, won’t be gutted. Not everyone is convinced…continue reading here

Medicaid changes, Trump tax bill

FOOD STAMPS

Changes to food stamps and nutrition assistance, formerly known as SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, are part of the tax bill. Here’s what may change…continue reading here

"SNAP/EBT Food Stamp Benefits Accepted" is displayed on a screen

A SNAP sign is displayed on a screen inside a Family Dollar store in Chicago March 3, 2020. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Finance

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: AAPL, ROST, INTU, BAH

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Goolsbee says Fed now has to wait longer before moving rates because of trade policy uncertainty

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Chicago Fed President Goolsbee: Bar is higher for Fed action as we await clarity on trade policy

Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee said Friday that President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats have complicated policy and likely put off changes to interest rates.

In a CNBC interview, the central bank official indicated that while he still sees the direction of rates being lower, the Fed likely will be on hold as it evaluates the ever-changing trade policy and how it impacts inflation and employment.

“Everything’s always on the table. But I feel like the bar for me is a little higher for action in any direction while we’re waiting to get some clarity,” Goolsbee said on “Squawk Box” when asked about Trump’s new actions Friday morning. “Over the longer run, if they’re putting in place tariffs that have a stagflationary impact … then that’s the central bank’s worst situation.”

“So I think we’ll have to see how big the impacts on prices are,” he added. “I know people hate inflation.”

Goolsbee spoke as Trump jolted markets again with a call for 50% tariffs on products from the European Union starting June 1 while indicating Apple will have to pay a 25% tariff on iPhones not made in the U.S. Apple mostly makes its coveted smartphones in China, though there is some production in India as well.

While the impact of a costlier iPhone likely wouldn’t mean much from a larger economic perspective, the saber-ratting underscores the volatility of trade policy and provides another flash point for a market already unnerved by worries about fiscal policy that have sent bond yields sharply higher.

Central bankers are generally careful not to wade into issues of fiscal and trade policy, but are left to analyze their repercussions.

Goolsbee said he is still optimistic that the longer-run trajectory is towards solid economic growth before Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement that rattled markets.

“I’m still underneath hopeful that we can get back to that environment, and 10 to 16 months from now, rates could be a fair bit below where they are today,” he said.

Goolsbee is a voting member this year on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee, which next meets June 17-18. At the meeting, officials will get a chance to update their economic and interest rate projections. The last update, in March, saw the committee indicating two rate cuts this year.

Markets expect the Fed will cut twice this year, with the next move not happening until September. Goolsbee did not commit to a course of action from here amid the uncertainty.

“I don’t like even mildly tying our hands at the next meeting, much less over six, eight, 10 meetings from now,” he said. “That said, as we went into April 2, I believe that we’re at pretty stable full employment, that inflation was on a path back to 2% and if we could do those I thought that over the next 12 to 18 months, rates could come down a fair amount.”

The Fed’s benchmark overnight borrowing rate is targeted between 4.25%-4.5%, where it has been since December. The actual rate most recently traded at 4.33%.

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