The White House’s latest signs of easing its position on tariffs against China do not indicate a notable advancement in US-China trade talks, but may present Beijing an opportunity to get a better deal, economists said.

US President Donald Trump appeared to soften his stance on the US-China trade war on Tuesday, telling an Oval Office press conference that tariffs on Chinese goods “will not be as high as 145 per cent” and that “it’ll come down substantially, but won’t be zero”.

His latest remarks follow claims he made last week that “top officials” from Beijing were talking with their Washington counterparts, and that a trade deal between the world’s two largest economies would soon be agreed.

Chen Zhiwu, a chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong, said the comments were “typical Trump” and “nothing unusual”.

“In reality, there hasn’t been any substantial progress or change in the US-China tariff negotiations. But this is [Trump’s] way of signalling to China,” Chen said.

“The more he talks like this, the more it shows how anxious the US side is. Trump and his team are under pressure, but China isn’t showing any signs of impatience.”