Africa's free trade area was first tested with batteries and tea
The African Union launched the AfCFTA in 2018. It took effect in 2021, and its first pilot trades in 2022 showed how slowly a single market gets built.
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Eleven countries saved the Pacific trade deal the US abandoned
When the US quit the TPP in 2017, the other 11 signatories kept most of the text, parked 22 US-backed clauses and signed the CPTPP in Santiago in 2018.
US importers pay the tariff, then pass part of it to shoppers
A US tariff is paid by the importer at the border. Federal Reserve research found at least 30% of 2025's China tariffs reached shelf prices, slowly.
GATT ran world trade for 47 years, then became the WTO
The US Congress never ratified a planned trade organisation, so a 1947 treaty ran world trade until the WTO replaced it in 1995.
Houthi attacks pushed global shipping around Africa
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea led the biggest container lines onto the longer route around Africa. It adds 10 to 12 days and about $1m in fuel per ship.
Germany's small firms lead niche markets worldwide
Almost 99% of Germany's companies are Mittelstand firms, often family-run and exporting early, and many lead their whole niche worldwide.