OEC in the News

China’s reported decision to halt sulphuric acid exports, together with the failure of peace talks between the United States and Iran over the weekend, risks driving prices higher and disrupting global mining and fertiliser supply chains that have few readily available alternatives.

Vietnam and Mexico are strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, with a growing focus on regional engagement in Chiapas and sectoral collaboration in agribusiness, seafood processing, manufacturing and tourism.

Loom is a marketplace app that connects customers with skilled designers to transform clothing they can no longer wear but aren’t ready to lose

China has reportedly planned to halt its exports of sulfuric acid in May, a move expected to further rock a global fertilizer industry already shaken by the war in Iran.

África y China se gustan. En los últimos años, el comercio entre el continente y el gigante asiático no ha dejado de crecer, lo que ha supuesto un alejamiento de Estados Unidos, la tercera persona de esta relación comercial.

Analyzes the food security impact of the U.S.-Iran war on Southeast Asia, citing OEC data showing 29.4% of Thailand's fertilizer imports came from the Gulf in 2024 and that four of the world's 10 biggest rice importers are Southeast Asian countries.

El mercado de fertilizantes, en particular la urea, atraviesa un choque simultáneo de oferta y precios que ya comienza a trasladarse a los alimentos.

The ongoing Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted global oil supplies, leaving many African economies vulnerable.

Ripple effects of oil and fertiliser shortage felt by farmers in India and Sri Lanka despite governments saying there is enough stock to go round

The world has become well versed in the importance of the strait of Hormuz to the world’s energy flows, but attention is increasingly turning to its vital role in another market – the fertiliser on which harvests depend.

Examines how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is creating a global food crisis through fertilizer supply disruptions. Cites OEC data on fertilizer import dependence of countries like Pakistan (31%), India (25%), Australia (27%), and New Zealand (26%) on the Gulf region.

Reports on the 12 bilateral agreements between Zimbabwe and Ghana. References OEC data on bilateral trade flows showing $378,000 in Ghanaian exports to Zimbabwe in 2024.

Analyzes the interconnected impacts of the Iran war on global fertilizer markets and food security. References OEC data on fertilizer trade patterns and regional import dependencies.

An open-access dataset from the Oxus Society maps more than $118 billion in resource exports across the five Central Asian republics, offering a rare quantitative window into the region’s shifting place in Eurasian supply chains.

Analyzes the war's impact on food, water, and fertilizer systems. References OEC data on fertilizer imports from the Middle East for agriculture-dependent countries including Pakistan, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

Examines the Strait of Hormuz as a vital chokepoint for oil, natural gas, and fertilizer trade. Cites OEC data on agriculture-dependent countries' fertilizer import shares from the Gulf region.

Covers the inaugural session of the Ghana-Zimbabwe Joint Permanent Commission. Cites OEC data showing Ghana exported $378,000 to Zimbabwe in 2024, while Zimbabwe exported $8,960 to Ghana.

El puerto más grande de Sudamérica nació hace menos de año y medio, está en Perú y en su creación jugó un papel clave la segunda economía del mundo: China.

Hundreds of tractors have clogged the streets of Brussels as farmers converged on the Belgian capital to protest against the contentious trade agreement between the European Union and South American nations they say will destroy their livelihoods.

Americans may soon be paying more for their favorite Italian pasta brands — or even have trouble finding imported spaghetti — as the Trump administration eyes a new import duty on 13 of Italy's largest pasta exporters.

More than 20 leaders from non-Western nations gathered in Tianjin, China over the weekend for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which concluded on Monday, and at which President Xi Jinping set out his vision for a global economic order with the Global South at its centre.

Mr. Trump has already enacted a 25 percent global tariff on aluminum and steel; a 25 percent tariff on many goods from Canada and Mexico; and a 20 percent blanket tariff on Chinese goods, on top of a 10 percent tariff from his first term. This week he imposed a 10 percent tariff on nearly all imports, with additional levies on 57 countries.

More than 20 leaders from non-Western nations gathered in Tianjin, China over the weekend for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which concluded on Monday, and at which President Xi Jinping set out his vision for a global economic order with the Global South at its centre.

A tariff simulator shows a dramatic drop in global exports to the U.S. as a result of President Donald Trump new trade deal with the European Union.

President Trump has told more than two dozen countries that they will face tariffs of at least 20 percent on Aug. 1 if they don’t reach agreements by then.

US President Donald Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC on Wednesday when he claimed that a “genocide” against white Afrikaners is taking place in South Africa. This claim has been widely discredited.

A potential trade war between the United States and its two neighbors has been thwarted for now, though the U.S.-China status remains murky after both parties implemented tariffs on Tuesday, their leaders yet to speak with one another as of late afternoon.

The world has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. For Russia, the change is arguably most obvious in its trade patterns and its increasing dependence on China.

Understanding who will end up paying for the higher costs means understanding how manufacturing, trade and supply chains function — and how costs build along each step of the complex process. Take shoes, for example.