President Donald Trump extended a trade truce with China for another 90 days Monday, at least delaying once again a dangerous showdown between the world's two biggest economies.

Donald Trump has extended a trade war truce with China for another 90 days, two US officials have said, just hours before his Tuesday deadline to steepen tariffs on the world’s biggest exporter. The US president’s move was widely expected because his government has been reluctant to reignite the fierce trade conflict with Beijing that rattled markets in April when US levies on Chinese imports rose up to 145 per cent.

U.S. levies on Chinese goods like toys, footwear and furniture could rise sharply if a deal is not approved by Tuesday’s deadline.