Trump has held up tariffs as a negotiating tool with China and claimed talks are ongoing, but Beijing says so far there have not been any negotiations.

Beijing is confident of hitting its 5% economic growth target this year despite the U.S. and China imposing hefty levies on each other’s exports.

Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Xi Jinping to call him for discussions about a potential trade deal. But any off-ramp to the economic tensions will likely run through Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is Xi's Sino-American trade tsar.