WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump claims that China seeks an agreement with the US in the standoff over tariffs.
"China also wants to make a deal, badly, but they don’t know how to get it started," Trump posted on his Truth Social network on Tuesday, reported German news agency dpa.
He added: "We are waiting for their call. It will happen!"
On Monday, China had announced plans to impose a 34 per cent tariff on US imports starting Thursday, in direct retaliation for a matching 34 per cent duty on Chinese goods unveiled by the US president last week.
China on Tuesday vowed to stand firm in the face of Trump's threatened additional tariffs on the country.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it would "resolutely take countermeasures to protect its own rights and interests."
"China will fight till the end if the US side is bent on going down the wrong path," a statement from the ministry said. - BERNAMA-dpa