By Ross Kerber

Feb 5 (Reuters) - The fate of shareholder resolutions on environmental and social themes may seem peripheral to the dramatic reordering of power in Washington, D.C. this week.

But a recent deal one investor group reached on deep-sea minerals still struck me as useful context for the upcoming corporate annual meeting season. Whatever you think of the rituals, they provide a rare chance to hear directly from shareholders, executives and directors.

You can read this week's column via the link below. The newsletter also includes items to judge the severity of trade tensions between the U.S. and China, and details about two financial analysts who were among the victims of the Jan. 29 plane crash in Washington.

Please follow me on LinkedIn and/or Bluesky. Or get me via ross.kerber@thomsonreuters.com

First Solar bars use of deep-sea minerals, early win for ESG group

First Solar FSLR.O agreed to refrain from using minerals mined from the deep sea, an early win for shareholder environmental activists and a sign their agenda might make progress despite opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

The step is hardly revolutionary: other companies and governments have made similar commitments on worries that the quest to exploit the seabed for rare metals like those used for electric vehicle batteries could damage the ocean's ecosystem.

But the deal shows many corporate executives remain concerned about environmental matters, said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow, the backer of the resolution and scores of others every year.

You can read more in my column this week by clicking here.

Company News: Trade War Edition

A sign of escalating trade tension: Trump said on Tuesday he is in no hurry to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to defuse a new trade war between the world's two largest economies sparked by Trump's sweeping 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports.

Signs trade tensions won't escalate: China restricted exports of five metals used in defense and clean energy in response to fresh U.S. tariffs, stopping short of outright export bans, while the U.S. Postal Service said it would resume accepting parcels from China and Hong Kong after a temporary suspension.

Two Moody's analysts among crash victims

Among the 67 people killed in the Jan. 29 aircraft collision over the Potomac River in Washington were two analysts from Moody's Ratings, MCO.N Chris Collins and Melissa Nicandri. Both worked on a finance team covering higher education, the company said.

"The Moody’s family mourns the loss of two of our best," a spokesperson told me via email. "Chris and Melissa were cherished colleagues who embodied our values and enriched our lives with kindness and warmth. They leave an immeasurable void in our community, and our hearts go out to their families, friends and colleagues, as well as all those grieving from this terrible tragedy.”

On my radar

Looking to slash corporate climate reporting burdens, a group of sustainable finance experts advising the European Union proposed simplifications as Brussels looks to cut red tape.

A 38-year-old former Google GOOGL.O software engineer faces an expanded indictment accusing him of stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets to benefit two Chinese companies he was secretly working for.

Delaware is corporate home to about two-thirds of the Fortune 500, but that could change after the U.S. state's Supreme Court issued a decision involving TripAdvisor TRIP.O that could make it easier for some companies to move elsewhere.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber in Boston; Editing by David Gregorio)

((ross.kerber@thomsonreuters.com; (617) 412 0093;))