Newsweek has contacted the White House and the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment. President Donald Trump raised U.S. tariffs on China to a combined 145 percent, prompting the Chinese to retaliate with a 125 percent levy on American imports.

As high-level trade talks between the United States and China draw closer, President Donald Trump has publicly suggested a potential tariff rate of 80 per cent on Chinese imports — a notable shift from the current 145 per cent rate that his administration has imposed.