US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will hold talks with China’s Vice Premier and top trade negotiator Liu He at the White House on Friday, a meeting that comes a week before Washington is set to further ratchet up the trade war with higher tariffs on Chinese imports.

Taking to Twitter, Trump said, “Big day of negotiations with China, They want to make a deal, but do I? I meet with the Vice Premier tomorrow at the White House”.

Big day of negotiations with China. They want to make a deal, but do I? I meet with the Vice Premier tomorrow at The White House.

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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2019

Trump’s message came shortly after the chief negotiators from both sides began a new round of talks in Washington, Efe news reported.

Liu is leading the Chinese delegation to the talks, while the US is being represented by Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

In retaliation, Beijing began implementing punitive levies of between 5 per cent and 10 per cent on US products valued at $75 billion, including agricultural products, crude oil and small aircraft.

The US has so far slapped tariffs on $550 billion worth of Chinese products since the trade war began in July 2018.

On Wednesday, Trump said that there was a “really good chance” of reaching a bilateral trade deal with China.

“In my opinion, China wants to make a deal more than I do,” Trump added.

Also looming on December 15 is a proposed 15 per cent tariff on $156 billion in Chinese goods, including smartphones and other consumer goods.

Trump launched the trade war as part of his “America First” bid to lower a wide trade deficit with China, and the tit-for-tat tariffs levelled by the two superpowers have had an impact on the global economy.

Earlier in August, President had escalated his trade war with China by announcing that he would impose 10 per cent tariff on another $300 billion of Chinese goods that took effect September 1, prompting a swift rebuke from Beijing and jolting global financial markets.

In July, the International Monetary Fund cited heightened trade tensions in forecasting that global growth would come in at 3.2 per cent in 2019 and 3.5 per cent in 2020.

(With IANS inputs)