Coca-Cola on Tuesday said it would release a version of Coke in the United States made with US-grown real cane sugar, a move requested by President Donald Trump.”We’re going to be bringing a Coke sweetened with US cane sugar into the market this fall, and I think that will be an enduring option for consumers,” said CEO James Quincey on a call with analysts.The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for many of its US products — a sweetener that has long drawn criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.Trump last week said that the company had agreed to use cane sugar in the United States version of Coke.”This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.Coca-Cola at the time did not confirm the move even if it said it appreciated Trump’s “enthusiasm” for its brand.In announcing the new option, Quincey insisted that the main Coke product would still be made with corn syrup, with the cane sugar version offered as an alternative.Mexican Coke — which is made with cane sugar — is often sold at a premium in US stores and prized for its more “natural” flavor.The US president did not explain what motivated his push for the change, which would not impact his well-known favorite beverage, Diet Coke.Since his return to the White House, Trump has reinstalled a special button in the Oval Office that summons a helping of the sugar-free carbonated drink.HFCS became popular in the 1970s, with its use skyrocketing thanks to government subsidies for corn growers and high import tariffs on cane sugar.Any shift away from corn is likely to draw backlash in the Corn Belt, a Midwestern region that has been a stronghold of support for Trump.Both HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) are composed of fructose and glucose, but differ at the structural level.Those differences don’t appear to significantly affect health outcomes, according to research.Trump’s preferred Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame — a compound classified as a “possible carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that he would meet his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm next week for tariff talks, eyeing an extension to a mid-August deadline for levies to snap back to steeper levels.Bessent told Fox Business that he will be speaking with Chinese officials on Monday and Tuesday for a third round of high-level negotiations, to work out what he said would be a likely postponement of the deadline.Washington and Beijing slapped escalating, tit-for-tat levies on each other’s exports earlier this year — reaching triple digit levels — stalling trade between the world’s two biggest economies as tensions surged.But after top officials met in Geneva in May, both sides agreed to temporarily lower their tariff levels in a de-escalation set to expire next month. Officials from the two countries also met in London in June.”That deal expires on August 12, and I’m going to be in Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday with my Chinese counterparts, and we’ll be working out what is likely an extension then,” Bessent said in the interview.He noted that Washington also wanted to speak about a wider range of topics, potentially including Chinese purchases of Iranian and Russian oil.For other economies facing an earlier August 1 deadline for higher US tariffs to kick in, Bessent said he expects the duties will boomerang back up — but signaled Washington would continue negotiations.Trade talks between the United States and China had initially stalled after their Geneva meeting in May, although Bessent said trade is in a good place now with Beijing.Disagreements bubbled to the fore when US officials earlier accused Beijing of violating their pact and slow-walking export license approvals for rare earths — crucial materials for making electronics and other goods.Since then, the two countries have agreed on a framework to move forward with their Geneva consensus.The United States has been seen relaxing certain restrictions on semiconductor sales to China, while Beijing has been reviewing applications for export licenses of controlled items. Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on allies and competitors alike, alongside steeper levels on steel, aluminum and autos.The 10 percent blanket rate is expected to increase for dozens of economies — although not China — come August 1, unless they reach an agreement with Washington to avert this outcome.So far, the Trump administration has only announced deals with Britain, Vietnam and Indonesia. But Bessent maintained Tuesday that more pacts are to come.