US and Chinese companies have signed business deals valued at nine billion US dollars (£6.84 billion) during a visit by President Donald Trump in a traditional move aimed at blunting criticism of Beijing’s trade practices.

However, religious freedom campaigners hope he will put pressure on President Xi Jinping to ease restrictions on churches.

Spokesman for Release International, Andrew Boyd told Premier’s News Hour he hopes Mr Trump won’t stay silent during a time where cases of things like officials removing crosses from churches are rising.

He said: “He’s the kind of character who might just speak out, given that he has a lot of advisers behind him who will be lobbying for Christianity and lobbying for human rights and we’re really hoping he makes the best of the opportunity.”

China’s biggest online retailer said it pledged to buy American beef and pork worth $1.2 billion (£912 million), but no other details were released of the 19 agreements signed at a ceremony attended by US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross.

Such contract signings are a fixture of visits by foreign leaders to China and often involve agreements negotiated weeks or even months in advance which Beijing have saved to showcase its importance as a market.

Mr Trump has made narrowing the multibillion-dollar US trade deficit with China a priority for his administration.

He is due to hold talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping.

They claim cases…

Ian Squire, 57, from Shepperton and three British colleagues were kidnapped last month in Delta State.

On Monday, the Foreign Office confirmed that Alanna Carson, David Donovan and Shirley Donovan had returned home safely to the UK but that Mr Squire had died while still a hostage.

While the Foreign Office did not disclose how Mr Squire died, they released a statement confirming he had been “killed”.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told Premier in a statement: “We are supporting the families of four British people who were abducted on 13 October in Nigeria, one of whom was tragically killed.

“This has clearly been a traumatic time for all concerned, and our staff will continue to do all we can to support the families.

“We are grateful to the Nigerian authorities, and are unable to comment given the ongoing nature of their investigations.”

However security sources told Punch, which is a Nigerian newspaper that Mr Squire died of an asthma attack and was not killed by his abductors.

The sources added that he died even before his colleagues were freed.

One of the sources, which wished to remain anonymous, told the paper: “Unfortunately, one of the male victims who is asthmatic and diabetic at the same time, died while in captivity as a result of complications from his ailments.

“Squire was not killed by the militants. He died while in captivity around a bush within Bayelsa and Delta states. It’s an unfortunate situation. We’re not aware if any ransom was paid.”

The…