Across Nigeria, low-cost Chinese goods are everywhere, evidence of Beijing's growing dominance in global trade. The trade flow has helped keep life affordable for millions of Nigerian families, at a time when the country is struggling with economic stagnation and plunging prices, as well as the deadly costs of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Soaring Chinese methanol expansion will boost demand for chemical tanker shipping on intra-Asia export trades out of China but check import traffic, according to the latest edition of the Chemical Forecaster, published by shipping consultancy Drewry.

South Korea and China agreed on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) that is expected to create the largest economic bloc in Asia. Once implemented, the Korea-China FTA will significantly boost bilateral trade between China, the world's second-largest economy, and South Korea, the fourth-largest in Asia.

In another sign that China's booming economy may be slowing, the country's manufacturing sector contracted in June after facing a credit crunch and seeing a decline in orders from Europe and the U.S., a survey said.