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President Donald Trump cast doubt on the future of his “phase one” trade deal with China, one of the biggest accomplishments of his first term, saying May 8 that he’s struggling with Beijing in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic.

China Merchants Group Ltd. is exploring taking China Merchants Port Holdings Co. private after shares of the state-owned conglomerate’s unit slid in Hong Kong this year, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

China’s manufacturing rebounded in March as authorities relaxed anti-disease controls and allowed factories to reopen, an official survey showed March 30, but an industry group warned the economy has yet to fully recover.

While much of the world’s output is grinding to a halt because of the coronavirus, China is slowly emerging from its shutdowns by restarting production at factories and resuming some flights.

BEIJING — China’s auto sales plunged 81.7% in February from a year ago after much of the economy was shut down to fight a virus outbreak, an industry group reported March 12.

Newly released figures from some of the nation’s major ports show cargo volumes are slumping as they struggle to recover from the U.S.-China trade war and now the steep downturn in factory output from China in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in January as exports fell but imports fell more. The politically sensitive trade gap with China widened.

Economists who closely follow the transportation and trucking industry say the next month will be critical as to whether the economy avoids a recession in 2020 as concerns over the spread of the coronavirus mount.

Forget about clinging to hopes that China, the world’s largest car market, will recover from its unprecedented two-year slump anytime soon.

The U.S.-China trade war has put a lot of stress on trucking, but the signing Jan. 15 of the first phase of a more comprehensive agreement between the two countries has spurred cautious optimism for the industry.