China's export growth likely slowed significantly in April, as shipments to the United States were dampened by Trump's tariffs and uncertainty over whether the world's two largest economies can strike a deal to ease the trade tensions.

China’s exports to the US fell sharply in April after Donald Trump’s triple-digit tariffs took effect, in another sign of the damage the US president’s trade war is causing the world’s two largest economies as they prepare for de-escalation talks.

China’s exports growth showed resilience in April, defying expectations that the effects of a trade war with the US would start to bite. Exports grew 8.1 per cent in dollar terms compared with a year earlier,