Beijing is taking a two-pronged approach to the incoming president: trying to sweeten up Trump while also signaling it is ready to fight efforts to constrain it.

US President Donald Trump said that he has spoken to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping since his inauguration, signalling continued diplomatic engagement amid an escalating trade war. Trump confirmed the discussions in a Super Bowl interview broadcast on Monday evening by Fox News,

Trump said he was in “no rush” to speak with Xi on Tuesday, which was the day the administration imposed 10 percent tariffs on Chinese inputs. He followed through on the tarif