China's economy grows 5.4% in first quarter as Trump tariffs loom

Open this photo in gallery: Shipping containers at Yangshan Port outside of Shanghai, China on April 15.Go Nakamura/Reuters The Chinese economy expanded by a better-than-expected 5.4 per cent in the first three months of this year, official statistics showed Wednesday, as exporters rushed to beat stringent new U.S. tariffs which came into force in early April. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed levies of up to 145 per cent on almost all Chinese goods, and Beijing has retaliated with 125 tariffs on U.S. imports, amid an escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies. That conflict is sure to…