UPDATE 1-US probing if China firms cut output of containers before pandemic, says CBS

​The United States is probing whether Chinese ‌companies deliberately restricted the world's production of storage containers for the shipping ‌trade just before the COVID pandemic ‌began in 2020, CBS said on Tuesday, citing sources.

Several Chinese executives have been indicted, ⁠it ​added, citing ⁠two sources as saying the formal indictments ⁠were expected to be unsealed on ​Tuesday. Investigators have been looking at a ⁠handful of Chinese firms that together control ⁠the ​majority of unrefrigerated shipping container manufacturing, CBS said.

U.S. President Donald ⁠Trump paid an official visit to China last ⁠week ⁠that produced no major breakthroughs on trade.