'Ball is in their court on tariffs': White House says Donald Trump open to a deal with China, but...

US President Donald Trump has said "the ball is in China's court," amid the ongoing tariff war between the two countries, after which America's tariffs on Chinese goods have reached 145 per cent, while China, in turn, now imposes 125 per cent tariffs on imports from the United States.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a media briefing, "The president has made his position on China quite clear. Although I do have an additional statement that he just shared with me in the Oval Office."

Leavitt continued, "The ball is in China's court...China needs to deal with us. We don't have to make a deal with them. There's no difference between China and any other country, except they (China) are much larger."

China and other countries, Leavitt further said quoting Trump, want what the United States has - the American consumer - and put another way, "They need our money."

She added, "So the president, again, has made it quite clear that he is open to a deal with China, but China needs to make a deal with the United States of America."

Trade tensions between Washington and Beijing have been flaring; the situation has worsened since Trump took office in January.

The MAGA leader initially imposed tariffs on imports from China over its alleged role in the fentanyl supply chain, and recently stepped up those levels sharply over trade practices Washington deems "unfair."

America's tariffs on China include 20 per cent over fentanyl and other illicit drugs, as well as 125 per cent over trade practices.

The Trump administration has, however, allowed certain tech products like smartphones and laptops temporary reprieve from the latest levy.