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President Donald Trump intensified his confrontation with China, vowing to punish the country for the coronavirus pandemic and taking steps to curb Hong Kong’s autonomy by ending the territory’s special trade status with the U.S. and denying visas to Chinese officials.

The U.S. has certified that Hong Kong is no longer politically autonomous from China, a move that could have far-reaching consequences on the former British colony’s special trading status with the U.S., Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said.

China is stepping up purchases of soybeans from the U.S. as Brazilian sales start to wane and the Asian nation seeks to meet its pledges under the trade deal with Washington, according to people familiar with the matter.

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.