The world’s second largest economy has grappled with persistent deflationary pressure in recent years, with longstanding woes in the property sector and export headwinds impeding growth.

The consumer price index (CPI) – a key measure of inflation – was down 0.1% last month year-on-year, according to data released by the national bureau of statistics (NBS), following previous drops in February and March.

The reading was in line with a Bloomberg forecast of a 0.1% year-on-year decline based on a survey of economists, and consistent with the slight drop recorded in March.

The latest figures come ahead of today’s start to a meeting of key economic officials from China and the US in Switzerland, offering a potential offramp for the high-stakes trade war launched by president Donald Trump.

NBS statistician Dong Lijuan said today in a statement about the data that “international imported factors have a certain downward impact on prices in some industries”.

US tariffs on imports from the manufacturing powerhouse now stand at a staggering 145% for many products – and reach as high as 245% cumulatively on others.