Beijing has warned its trading partners against succumbing to US pressure to isolate China in President Donald Trump’s tariff war, as part of its carrot-and-stick approach to win over countries caught between the world’s two largest economies.

Beijing said deals to restrict trade with China in exchange for U.S. tariff relief are “bargaining with a tiger for its skin” — seeking the impossible from the unreliable.

China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, has urged Washington to seek common ground with Beijing and pursue peaceful coexistence while warning that China stood ready to retaliate in the escalating trade war.