China’s top trade official said the two sides had “constructive” and “candid” discussions and agreed to keep the tariffs at current levels — the United States taxing Chinese goods at 30 percent and China collecting 10 percent on US products.

President Trump has long complained about the trade deficit with China, which last year saw the US buy $295bn (£221bn) more goods from China than the other way round. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the US was already on track to reduce that gap by $50bn this year.

U.S. and Chinese officials agreed to seek an extension of their 90-day tariff truce on Tuesday, following two days of what both sides described as constructive talks in Stockholm aimed at defusing an escalating trade war between the world's two biggest economies that threatens global growth.