Concern is increasing throughout Southeast Asia as U.S. officials, intent on slowing China, have yet to say how they will define the origin country of imports.

The U.S. announced agreements on Sunday with Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, securing support for its efforts to pressure China on trade and critical minerals.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Concern is increasing throughout Southeast Asia as U.S. officials, intent on slowing China, have yet to say how they will define the origin country of imports.

© Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times

Countries worldwide are buying more than ever from China, but domestic consumption is lagging and government stimulus efforts aren’t working.

© Qilai Shen for The New York Times

Countries worldwide are buying more than ever from China, but domestic consumption is lagging and government stimulus efforts aren’t working.

In Washington, China hawks say its economy is too weak to withstand a tariff shock. In the city of Yiwu, factories are showing why, for now, that may be a miscalculation.

An interview with a 26-year-old entrepreneur, who has taken seven trips to China to buy handbags, clothes and jewelry. “China is the center of everything,” she said.

China’s baby boom enriched a small Irish town where a Nestlé factory made formula for Chinese newborns. Then a baby bust unraveled it all. Or so it seemed.

For American manufacturers, it is hard to quit China and its unrivaled factories. One industry is defying that reality as it shifts more production to Vietnam.

The U.S. said Samsung and SK Hynix could no longer ship American equipment to their production facilities in China without government licenses.