* SPDR Gold Trust holdings rose on Monday to a fresh 7-year high
* Trump vows to use U.S. military to halt protests in America
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global coronavirus spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser
By K. Sathya Narayanan
June 2 (Reuters) - Gold eased on Tuesday, weighed down by gains in stock markets, but concerns over civil unrest in U.S. cities and growing tensions between Washington and Beijing limited the decline.
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.1% at $1,738.24 per ounce by 1152 GMT, having gained as much as 1% on Monday to hit its highest since May 21. U.S. gold futures GCv1 were steady at $1,750.90.
"The U.S.-China tensions support (gold) because of the safe-haven demand but there are also concerns about a second wave of the coronavirus," Bank of China International analyst Xiao Fu said, adding investors were also worried about unrest in U.S. cities and whether it would come under control.
"Gold is now range bound ... The equity market rally has been capping further gains in gold," Fu added.
World stocks climbed towards three-month highs as the global coronavirus recovery effort won out over the trade tensions and the unrest in the United States. MKTS/GLOB
Concerns about deteriorating Sino-U.S. relations increased after reports of an order from China's government to halt U.S. soybean purchases. which is widely viewed as a safe-haven investment during times of political and financial uncertainty, got further support after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to use the military to halt the violent protests in U.S. cities. in a sign that the worst of the economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic might be over, U.S. manufacturing activity edged up from an 11-year low, and China's factory activity unexpectedly returned to growth in May. investor sentiment, holdings in the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust GLD , rose 0.5% to 1,128.40 tonnes on Monday, the highest in seven years. GOL/ETF
Elsewhere, palladium XPD= climbed 0.4% to $1,968.73 per ounce, while platinum XPT= dipped 0.3% to $844.91. Silver XAG= was 0.3% lower at $18.21.