A raft of Chinese data over coming weeks is expected to show that the world's second-biggest economy cooled slightly in March from the first two months of the year, with the main risk now centred on an escalating China-US trade spat. On Wednesday, Beijing slapped additional tariffs on a range of US goods in a swift retaliatory action after Washington had raised the stakes in the growing trade showdown by proposing extra 25% tariffs on some 1300 industrial technology, transport and other Chinese products. Analysts fear a full-blown US-China trade spat could have damaging economic consequences, hitting exporters of both nations and shattering global growth. Economists are expecting China's growth to slow to 6.5% this year, from a solid 6.9% last year, due to a cooling property market and rising borrowing costs. Export growth is expected to have weakened to 10% last month from February's 44.5%, according to a Reuters poll of 31 economists. Analysts attributed the pullback in March expo...
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