Chinese officials vowed to provide more support for exporters affected by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, showing greater urgency to shore up the crucial sector while denying having had any trade talks with Washington.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday did not back President Donald Trump's assertion that tariff talks with China were under way and said he did not know if the U.S. president had talked to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China's factory activity likely contracted in April, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday, as Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" package of tariffs brought a sudden halt to two months of recovery.