Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Xi Jinping to call him for discussions about a potential trade deal. But any off-ramp to the economic tensions will likely run through Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is Xi's Sino-American trade tsar.

Tariffs on China will remain at their current levels, according to Stephen Miran, a key architect of President Donald Trump’s trade policies. Miran’s comments come at a time when the administration is trying to calm nervous investors but offering mixed signals.