Oil prices steadied on Monday as news that China planned to ship large volumes of U.S. crude in August and September countered rising tensions between the two countries and a delay in the review of their trade pact over the weekend. Brent crude LCOc1 was down 3 cents, or 0.1%, to $44.77 a barrel by 0858 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was up 3 cents, or 0.1%, to $42.04 a barrel. The United States and China delayed a review of their Phase 1 trade deal initially slated for Saturday, citing scheduling conflicts. However, in a positive signal, Chinese state-owned oil firms have tentatively booked tankers to transport at least 20 million barrels of U.S. crude for August and September. Record crude imports from China and the easing of COVID-19 restrictions globally have supported oil prices in recent weeks, although new waves of coronavirus […]