China said Wednesday that it was willing to engage in trade talks with Washington, a day after US President Donald Trump signalled that hefty tariffs he imposed on the country would come down after the sides reach a deal.

Since Trump began a second term in January, he has unleashed a tit-for-tat trade battle with Beijing that has seen US levies on many Chinese goods reach 145 percent.

The fierce trade war between the world's top two economies has rattled markets and raised fears of a global recession.

Trump acknowledged Tuesday that the level of US tariffs on China was currently "very high", saying that they would "come down substantially" after a deal is struck.

Asked about the remarks, Beijing said that tariff and trade wars have "no winners", repeated previous comments.

"We do not wish to fight, nor are we afraid of fighting," said foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a regular press conference, adding that China would "fight to the end", if necessary.

"The door for talks is wide open," he said.

But, he warned, "saying on the one hand that they want to reach an agreement with China, while on the other hand continuing to exert extreme pressure is not the correct way to have dealings with China".