Covid-19 drives commercial world war: China and US consumers turn on each other's goods

US and China, two countries have been in a war of words for weeks as the outbreak of COVID-19 led to mistrust in reporting figures and commercial trade deals.

The latest showdown between the world's last superpower and the rising Asian giant vying to supplant it on the global stage — this time against the backdrop of a disease that has killed  around 323,413
people left hundreds of millions jobless and ground the world economy to a halt.

A recent survey by Deutsche Bank's big data platform dbDIG showed 41 per cent of Americans would not buy a "Made in China" product again and 35 per cent of Chinese would avoid buying products "Made in USA".

Even though most consumers were not ready to completely shun each other's goods, the survey results indicate a rise in commercial nationalism and a growing distaste for globalisation, as both economies emerge from the coronavirus crisis.

With the US election less than six months away, Trump is expected to keep China in his crosshairs to divert attention from his administration's handling of the virus and the resulting damage done to the economy, analysts said.

(With inputs from agencies)