U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will not speak on Tuesday, a U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal, contrary to what trade adviser Peter Navarro said earlier in the day.

By targeting allies and neighbours with tariffs, the US is playing into the hands of China. “Our strategy on tariffs will be to shoot first and ask questions later.” That was what one of Donald Trump’s key economic policymakers told me late last year.

U.S. President Donald Trump will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping within the next couple of days, setting up a major diplomatic exchange as the superpowers seek a deal that could avert a broader trade war.

As U.S. President Donald Trump's 10% tariffs on Chinese imports went into effect early Tuesday, Beijing responded with a swaft of retaliatory economic measures targeting American companies.

The US has imposed a 10% tariff on all Chinese goods, firing the opening shot of a fresh trade war with Beijing even as President Donald Trump plans to hold talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping.

U.S. President Donald Trump will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping as soon as this week, Trump's spokesperson said, setting up a major diplomatic exchange as the world's two largest economies seek a deal that could avert a broader trade war.