US-China Trade Deal
Andrew Sheves Good morning.
It’s a slimmed-down SITREP today from the woods of North Carolina so just the regional summary and one story of note. Normal service will resume on Monday.
US China Trade Deal Finalized
The US and China signed a trade understanding two days ago that codifies terms from Geneva talks, with China committing to deliver rare earth materials in exchange for US lifting export restrictions. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the deal removes US “countermeasures” on ethane, chip software and jet engines once rare earth shipments begin flowing. Trump plans to finalize trade deals with 10 major partners by his July 9 deadline to reinstate higher tariffs, sorting countries into “proper buckets” based on negotiation outcomes. More - Bloomberg
Africa Stability Ratings and News Summary
More Unstable
🇩🇿 Algeria, 🇦🇴 Angola, 🇧🇯 Benin, 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso, 🇧🇮 Burundi, 🇨🇲 Cameroon, 🇨🇫 Central African Republic, 🇹🇩 Chad, 🇰🇲 Comoros, 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic Of The Congo, 🇩🇯 Djibouti, 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea, 🇪🇷 Eritrea, 🇸🇿 Eswatini, 🇪🇹 Ethiopia, 🇬🇦 Gabon, 🇬🇳 Guinea, 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau, 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast, 🇰🇪 Kenya, 🇱🇸 Lesotho, 🇱🇷 Liberia, 🇲🇬 Madagascar, 🇲🇼 Malawi, 🇲🇱 Mali, 🇲🇷 Mauritania, 🇲🇿 Mozambique, 🇳🇪 Niger, 🇳🇬 Nigeria, 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo, 🇷🇼 Rwanda, 🇸🇴 Somalia, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇸🇸 South Sudan, 🇸🇩 Sudan, 🇹🇿 Tanzania, 🇬🇲 The Gambia, 🇹🇬 Togo, 🇺🇬 Uganda, 🇪🇭 Western Sahara, 🇿🇲 Zambia, 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
More Stable
No countries were more stable over this period
Unchanged
🇧🇼 Botswana, 🇨🇻 Cape Verde, 🇬🇭 Ghana, 🇲🇺 Mauritius, 🇲🇦 Morocco, 🇳🇦 Namibia, 🇸🇳 Senegal, 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone, 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe
Regional News Summary
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is grappling with an alarming surge in violence, particularly against children in conflict zones. A recent UN report highlighted that in 2024, there were 41,370 grave violations against children in armed conflicts, exacerbated by the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza. This escalation has resulted in a record-high number of refugees, while global aid funding has simultaneously declined. Notably, Heineken has had to shut down its breweries in the DRC due to armed group takeovers, illustrating the dire economic impact of the violence [SOURCE - TASS] [SOURCE - RFI] [SOURCE - Rio Times].
In a bid to address the escalating conflict, diplomatic efforts are underway. The United States, under the leadership of President Trump and Senator Rubio, has played a pivotal role in brokering a peace treaty between the DRC and Rwanda, a move that has garnered international attention. Pakistan has even nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in this peace initiative [SOURCE - Japan Times] [[SOURCE - New York Post]](https://nypost.com/2025/06/21/us-news/trump-rubio-secure-rwanda-congo-peace-treaty-after-pakist
Carpe tomorrow!