WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said he was not in a hurry to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, despite expectations that they would hold talks after announcing tit-for-tat tariffs in a growing trade conflict.
Beijing said it was imposing levies on imports of US energy, vehicles and equipment in a return salvo minutes after Trump's threatened tariffs on Chinese goods came into effect on Tuesday.
Trump suspended duties on Mexico and Canada a day prior for a month after both countries vowed to step up measures to counter flows of the drug fentanyl and the crossing of undocumented migrants into the United States.
Trump had signalled earlier that the talks with Xi could take place early this week, but addressing reporters at the White House Tuesday afternoon, he said he was in "no rush" to talk to Xi.
Stock markets wavered as investors braced for volatile market activity in the coming weeks over Trump's threatened tariffs on his country's three biggest goods trading partners.
Trump imposed fresh 10 percent tariffs on Chinese goods, on top of levies that were already in place against Washington's biggest economic competitor. Mexico and Canada had faced 25 percent tariffs.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Trump was due to talk to Xi, but on Tuesday said she had no "updates on when that call will take place."
"He is not going to allow China to continue to source and distribute deadly fentanyl into our country, that was the reason for this tariff," Leavitt told reporters outside the West Wing of the White House.
China unveiled 15 percent levies on imports of coal and liquefied natural gas from the United States, while crude oil, agricultural machinery, big-engined vehicles, and pickup trucks face 10 percent duties.
Beijing says it will also probe US tech giant Google and the US fashion group that owns Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.
China's government said the measures were in response to the "unilateral tariff hike" by Washington. It said it would also file a complaint to the World Trade Organization over the "malicious" levies.
Additionally, it unveiled fresh export controls on rare metals and chemicals including tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, and molybdenum, used in a range of industrial appliances.
China is a major market for US energy exports and according to Beijing customs data, imports of oil, coal and LNG totalled more than $7-billion last year.
But that is dwarfed by China's imports from more friendly powers such as Russia, from which it purchased $94-billion-worth last year.