China yesterday signalled it wants closer trade ties with the EU as Donald Trump raised tariffs on its exports to 145%, write Jason Groves and Kumail Jaffer.

Beijing issued a defiant message, saying it would “never yield” to what it calls “bullying” from the United States.

It also followed through on its threat to raise tariffs on US imports to 84%.

But China also signalled it will seek to bypass the US by building closer trade ties with other Western markets.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Beijing was “willing to work with the EU to... deepen China-EU trade, investment and industrial cooperation”.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang this week to discuss their response to Mr Trump’s tariffs, with the two sides saying they wanted to “send a positive message to the outside world”.

Keir Starmer is also pushing for closer trade ties with Beijing and is considering a trip to China this autumn.

Unlike China, the EU has paused its plans to levy retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars worth of US imports such as Levi’s jeans and Harley Davidson motorbikes, after Trump suspended his planned 20% tariff.