China's exports likely picked up pace in March, as factories rushed out shipments ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs this month, though the broadening trade war with the United States has darkened the economic outlook.

Optimistic Chinese observers even held out hope for a grand bargain with Trump over trade, TikTok – and perhaps even Taiwan. This account of how China shifted from seeking a deal to punching back with retaliatory tariffs and threatening all-out defiance is based on interviews with more than a dozen people,

US President Donald Trump has warned that "nobody is getting off the hook for unfair trade balances", suggesting that further tariffs could be expected The White House had on Friday excluded smartphones and computers from its import taxes on China,