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BEIJING — China’s auto sales plunged 81.7% in February from a year ago after much of the economy was shut down to fight a virus outbreak, an industry group reported March 12.

Newly released figures from some of the nation’s major ports show cargo volumes are slumping as they struggle to recover from the U.S.-China trade war and now the steep downturn in factory output from China in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in January as exports fell but imports fell more. The politically sensitive trade gap with China widened.

Economists who closely follow the transportation and trucking industry say the next month will be critical as to whether the economy avoids a recession in 2020 as concerns over the spread of the coronavirus mount.

Forget about clinging to hopes that China, the world’s largest car market, will recover from its unprecedented two-year slump anytime soon.

The U.S.-China trade war has put a lot of stress on trucking, but the signing Jan. 15 of the first phase of a more comprehensive agreement between the two countries has spurred cautious optimism for the industry.

In a letter read out during the Jan. 15 trade deal signing at the White House, Chinese leader Xi Jinping asked U.S. President Donald Trump to take steps to “enhance mutual trust and cooperation between us.”

BEIJING — China on Jan. 14 welcomed a U.S. decision ahead of the signing of a trade deal with Beijing to drop it from a list of governments accused of manipulating the value of their currencies to gain an unfair advantage in trade.

Even as the Trump administration is set to sign phase one of the trade agreement with China, consumers and American businesses continue to feel the impact of the U.S.-China trade war.

China’s economy czar will visit Washington the week of Jan. 13 for the signing of an interim trade deal, the government said Jan. 9.