U.S. President Donald Trump’s $1 trillion proposal to fix the nation’s crumbling infrastructure is expected to be the primary focus of the country’s governors as they gather in Washington for three days of meetings. Health care reform, education, childhood hunger and cybersecurity will also dominate policy discussions at the annual …

China for the first time became Germany’s most important trading partner in 2016, overtaking the United States, which fell back to third place behind France, data showed on Friday. German imports from and exports to China rose to 170 billion euros ($180 billion) last year, Federal Statistics Office figures reviewed …

Countries in Southeast Asia are talking one-on-one with China about shared rights to fish and fossil fuels in the contested South China Sea, but nationalism or lack of political trust may snarl any agreements and shift focus to informal economic deals. Senior leaders from China and Vietnam met last month …

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras defended a deal reached between Athens and its foreign creditors for further reforms in return for bailout aid, saying it was an “honorable compromise.” Tsipras said he believed relations between Greece, the European Union and International Monetary Fund had turned a page after seven years …

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says Kenya has complied with international safety standards and can have direct flights to the U.S. after waiting for more than a decade.   The FAA in a statement Thursday said Kenya has received a category 1 rating under the agency’s International Aviation Safety Assessment …

President Donald Trump on Thursday spoke favorably about a potentially export-boosting border adjustment tax being pushed by Republicans in the U.S. Congress, but did not specifically endorse it. Trump, who has lashed out at U.S. companies who have moved operations to countries like Mexico, has previously sent mixed signals on …

President Donald Trump told the heads of more than 20 of the largest U.S. manufacturers Thursday that he planned to bring millions of factory jobs back to the United States. Trump said the United States had lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs since the North American Free Trade Agreement was …

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday the administration is committed to getting major tax reform legislation through Congress by August. He predicted that President Donald Trump’s economic proposals will be able to boost growth significantly to annual rates above 3 percent. Mnuchin said that tax reform is the administration’s top …

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Gillis, Ellis & Baker, a New Orleans-based insurance company, relocated from the battered, flooded city to nearby Baton Rouge so it could carry on serving its 4,000 clients, who all had at least one claim following the storm. Had it not been …

U.S. President Donald Trump met Thursday with chief executives of some of the country’s biggest manufacturers, praising their efforts to add jobs in the U.S. and vowing to bring back jobs that corporate America has moved to other countries in search of cheaper labor.     “My administration’s policies and …

With states seizing the initiative on shaping the future of self-driving cars, General Motors is trying to persuade lawmakers across the country to approve rules that would benefit the automaker while potentially keeping its competitors off the road. The carmaker denies trying to freeze out other brands, but legislators in …

With states seizing the initiative on shaping the future of self-driving cars, General Motors is trying to persuade lawmakers across the country to approve rules that would benefit the automaker while potentially keeping its competitors off the road. The carmaker denies trying to freeze out other brands, but legislators in …

Activists are urging Unilever, a major investor in Myanmar, to speak out against the country’s treatment of its Rohingya minority, which the U.N. has said may be called “crimes against humanity.” More than 10,000 people have joined the Facebook group for the campaign, known by the #WeAreAllRohingyaNow, and hundreds have …

Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis planned to open this year’s State of the City speech by thanking Caterpillar Inc. for its longtime commitment to the central Illinois town, declaring “We wouldn’t be Peoria without Caterpillar.” It’s been that way for decades in Peoria and in other company towns across the United …

Before Donald Trump won the November election, many analysts were sharply critical of his economic proposals. Some predicted big declines in financial markets, hiring slowdowns and a heightened risk of recession. But just a little more than a month since Trump became the 45th U.S. president, U.S. stocks have enjoyed …

Before Donald Trump won the election, many analysts were sharply critical of his economic proposals. However, in Trump’s first month in office, U.S. stocks have hit a series of record highs and consumer confidence improved. Did analysts get it wrong? Economist Mark Zandi, an early critic of Trump’s economic plans, …

An interest rate hike may come “fairly soon” according to notes from the most recent meeting of top officials of the U.S. central bank. The assessment by Federal Reserve leaders assumes that data on the job market and inflation continues strengthening at its current pace or faster. Some Fed officials …

The first multilateral trade agreement reached under the World Trade Organization since it was created over a generation ago has taken force, aiming to streamline cross-border trade to the benefit of the developing world in particular.   WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo said Wednesday that the required two-thirds of member states …

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Tuesday that he expects the IMF to provide “frank and candid” analysis of exchange rate policies, a Treasury spokesperson said. In a phone call with Lagarde, the spokesperson said, Mnuchin also “noted the importance that the …

From marijuana-laced candy to body lotion infused with marijuana, this controversial plant is becoming a big business in the United States as more states make it mainstream.  Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is now legal in 28 U.S. states for either medical or recreational use. Of those states, four of …

Rania Nashar was named chief executive of Samba Financial Group on Monday, becoming the first female CEO of a listed Saudi commercial bank in line with the government’s economic and social reforms. Nashar is a board member of Samba’s global markets subsidiary and a Pakistani unit, and has nearly 20 …

Greece will need less in emergency loans from international lenders than originally agreed in its third bailout program due to a better-than-expected budgetary developments, the head of the eurozone bailout fund was reported on Monday as saying. Klaus Regling told German newspaper Bild that at the end of Greece’s money-for-reforms …

The International Monetary Fund said Sunday that it and other partners have agreed on terms for a more than $5 billion loan package to the Mongolian government to help get the north Asian country’s economy back on track.    The deal is subject to approval by the IMF’s executive board, …

President Donald Trump says the U.S. military might buy Boeing fighter planes rather than those of rival Lockheed, which he has called overpriced. As VOA’s Jim Randle reports, the president spoke Friday at a Boeing factory in South Carolina as the company showed off the newest version of its 787 …

U.S. allies said after a meeting Friday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson they were encouraged the United States would support a political solution to the Syrian conflict. “All the participants want a political solution because a military solution alone won’t lead to peace in Syria,” German Foreign Minister Sigmar …