With its forceful response to US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, China has abandoned courtesy, leaving the chances of reconciliation slim as ties between the world’s two largest economies grow increasingly fraught, according to a prominent economist.

“Initially, China opted to maintain some courtesy to avoid too much escalation when Trump [first] hiked tariffs,” said Mao Zhenhua, an economics professor with the University of Hong Kong and co-director of Renmin University’s Institute of Economic Research.

Trump had announced increases of 10 per cent and later 20 per cent on Chinese goods after taking office in January. Last week, as part of a sweeping package of import duties on nearly every US trade partner, the president levied an additional 34 per cent.

“The probability for both sides to meet for talks or even a turnaround is very small,” Mao added, warning all parties to “brace for impact”.