In the summer of 2018, when former President Donald Trump launched a trade war with Beijing, the Chinese economy was gaining on the United States, and popular opinion suggested it could soon become the world’s largest.

China's commerce ministry on Thursday announced a series of policy measures aimed at boosting the country's foreign trade, including pledging to strengthen financing support to firms and expand exports of agricultural products.

Despite the upbeat message, the threat of higher tariffs, following on increases during Trump’s first administration and additional hikes in import duties by the administration