China's exports beat forecasts in July, as manufacturers made the most of a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington to ship goods ahead of a looming deadline later this month.

Trump dramatically escalated economic tensions in April. Citing unfair Chinese trade practices and promising to revitalize U.S. manufacturing, he announced heavy tariffs on Chinese goods. The move rattled global supply chains and prompted swift retaliation from Beijing, which introduced its own tariffs and a suite of other tit-for-tat measures.