Hello and welcome to Business Matters here on the BBC World Service.
I'm Sam Fenwick.
Coming up in this first half hour of the programme.
the US and China have agreed to a surprise easing of trade tensions,
with both sides slashing tariffs for the next 90 days.
After months of escalating economic pressure,
Washington and Beijing now say that they want to negotiate.
So in this first half hour, we'll examine what this temporary truce means for global supply chains,
markets and consumers, and ask whether a long-term deal might now be possible.
Coming up, we'll hear voices from both countries,
expert analysis and the businesses caught up in the middle.
We'll hear from those in China.
This is basically taking us back to, quote unquote, Liberation Day.
It's still going to be tariffed and it's still going to raise prices at the end of the year,
but at least people are able to make plans around it.
And those businesses in the US.
The infrastructure does not exist in the United States to make these products at a price that American consumers would want to pay for them.
And also the U.S. has so many regulations.
As ever on Business Matters,
we'll be joined by two guests throughout the whole program on opposite sides of the world.