US President Donald Trump has relaunched the trade war with China, by threatening to impose a 10 per cent duty on imports from Beijing, AFP reported. In his second term, Donald Trump has hinted of imposing a 10% tariff on imports of Chinese-made goods from February 1.

US President Donald Trump said he could impose 10% tariffs on Chinese goods from February 1. China's stock markets fell after Trump's comments, breaking several straight days of gains. Trump had said he could slap tariffs of 25% on Canada and Mexico from February 1.

President Trump said on Tuesday that he intended to impose a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports into the United States on Feb. 1, a decision that is sure to escalate trade tensions between the world’s largest economies.

Markets were cautiously optmistic after Trump took a lighter approach to China on Monday. That sentiment lasted a day.

On the campaign trail, Mr Trump promised a 10 per cent to 20 per cent charge on all imported goods and 60 per cent on Chinese products. He also vowed a 25 per cent tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10 per cent duty on Chinese goods.

Analysts say Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Chinese imports may be a way to extract concessions from Beijing