Ball in China's court for trade talks, White House says

"China wants what we have ... the American consumer, or to put another way, they need our money," Leavitt said.

China raised its tariffs on imports of US goods to 125 per cent on Friday in a retaliatory move to Trump, who effectively raised US tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 per cent while putting a pause on planned levies for other countries' goods.

Trump has described Chinese President Xi Jinping in admiring terms but neither man has backed down in an escalating trade war between their two countries.

"The president, again, has made it quite clear that he's open to a deal with China. But China needs to make a deal with the United States of America," Leavitt said.

Trump has said he expects something positive to come out of the trade tensions between the world's two largest economies. 

But, unlike multiple other countries who have responded to his plans for tariffs by seeking deals with the United States, China has raised its own levies on US goods and not sought talks.