China's Commerce Ministry has said it is "evaluating" an offer from Washington to hold talks over US President Donald Trump's 145% tariffs on Chinese goods.

However, it has warned the US not to engage in "extortion and coercion" during negotiations to de-escalate the trade war that has heavily affected global markets and supply chains.

The Commerce Ministry said US had approached China seeking talks over tariffs, and that Beijing's door was open for discussions following several weeks of turmoil.

The statement comes a day after a social media account linked to Chinese state media said the White House had been seeking to start talks, and a week after Trump claimed discussions were already underway, which Beijing denied.

"The US has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China," the statement said, adding that Beijing was "evaluating this".

"Attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work," it said.

The US should be prepared to take action in "correcting erroneous practices" and cancel unilateral tariffs, the Commerce Ministry said, adding that Washington needed to show "sincerity" in negotiations.

Beijing has repeatedly denied it is seeking to negotiate out of tariffs with the US, instead waiting for the White House to make the first move towards a detente.

Trump has singled out China for heavy tariffs at a difficult time for the Chinese economy, while postponing import duties for goods from other major trade partners.

China is struggling with deflation due to sluggish economic growth and a prolonged property crisis, and Beijing has expressed anger at the tariffs, which it has said are tantamount to bullying.

China has exempted a number of US-made products from its retaliatory 125% tariffs, including select pharmaceuticals, microchips and jet engines.

US officials such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett have expressed hope for progress in easing trade tensions.

"I am confident that the Chinese will want to reach a deal. And as I said, this is going to be a multi-step process. First, we need to de-escalate, and then ... we will start focusing on a larger trade deal," Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network this week.

Trump said on Wednesday that he believed there was a "very good chance" his administration could do a deal with China, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping called on officials to take action to adjust to changes in the international environment, without explicitly mentioning the US.

"China's position has always been perfectly consistent," the Chinese Commerce Ministry said.

"If it's a fight, we will fight to the end; if it's talk, the door is wide open. The tariff war and trade war were unilaterally initiated by the US side."

Data this week showed factory activity shrank in April, with Beijing blaming a "sharp shift" in the global economy.

(Pic: Getty Images)