China has accused the United States of “provoking new economic and trade frictions” as it responded to US President Donald Trump’s claims that Beijing had violated a trade truce agreed by the two nations last month,

China's factory activity in May shrank for the first time in eight months, a private-sector survey showed on Tuesday, indicating U.S. tariffs are now starting to directly hurt the manufacturing superpower.

A private gauge of China’s manufacturing activity tumbled in May, touching the lowest level since September 2022 as tariffs continue to weigh, despite the U.S. trade truce. The Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers index signaled a contraction for the first time in eight months.

BEIJING: Chinese factory activity hit a more than two-year low in May, a closely watched survey showed today, as a detente in Beijing’s trade war with Washington was offset by ongoing domestic problems in the world’s number two economy.