First Thing: US-China trade row escalates as Beijing’s 84% tariffs come into effect

Retaliatory tariffs enforced hours after Trump announces a pause on dozens of levies except China. Plus, France could recognize Palestinian statehood

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Beijing's 84% retaliatory tariffs came into force on Thursday morning, hours after Donald Trump said he was freezing steep levies on dozens of countries, except China.

What impact could this have on the rest of the world? Given trade between the US and China makes up 3% of global trade, it could severely damage the global economic outlook", Okonjo-Iweala said.

What did Panama say? Panama made clear, through President Mulino, that we cannot accept military bases or defence sites," its security minister, Frank Abrego, said.