China has warned that all trade talks between Beijing and Washington will be void if the US sets up trade sanctions.
After talks between Vice Premier Liu He and US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, China said it was ready to boost imports from many countries.
Mr Ross’s China visit comes days after Washington threatened to impose extra tariffs on $50bn of Chinese goods.
Meanwhile, G7 nations have hit out at the US over its new steel and aluminium import tariffs.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned a trade war could begin in “a few days”.
On Saturday President Trump insisted on Twitter that the US had been “ripped off by other countries for years on trade“.
He says steel tariffs will protect US steelmakers, which he says are vital to national security. Mr Trump has also complained about barriers US firms face in Europe and elsewhere.
