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.

US President Donald Trump will hold a conversation with China's XI Jinping in "a couple of days" amid the ongoing tensions over recent tariffs the US has imposed on China.

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.