The US will impose a 104 percent tariff on China beginning Wednesday, the White House said.
"There will be 104 percent tariffs going into effect on China tonight at midnight," spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.
President Donald Trump believes China "has to make a deal" with the US, Leavitt said.
"It was a mistake for China to retaliate."
If China reaches out to make a deal, she said Trump will be "incredibly gracious."
“But he's going to do what's best for the American people. ... The Chinese want to make a deal. They just don't know how to do it," she said.
Nearly 70 countries have already reached out to Trump to begin negotiations on tariffs following his announcement last week, she said.
Trump announced the imposition of a 10 percent minimum tariff on all imports and higher reciprocal tariffs on the US' biggest trading partners, including China and the EU.
Leavitt said Trump met his trade team earlier Tuesday.
"He directed them to have tailor-made trade deals with each and every country that calls up this administration to strike a deal," she added.
Asked if Trump is considering holding off on imposing some tariffs, Leavitt said the president said has indicated he is not considering an extension or a delay, and expects the tariffs will go into effect.
"As the president said, the reciprocal tariffs, which will continue to go in effect as these deals are negotiated and ongoing, will generate trillions of dollars in revenue to the United States," she said.
Beijing responded to US tariffs by placing levies on American goods, restricting key exports, and investigating Google for antitrust violations.
China 'confident'
China blasted what it called US blackmail and vowed to "fight it to the end," a commerce ministry spokesperson said.
The US president insisted that the ball was in China's court because Beijing "wants to make a deal, badly, but they don't know how to get it started."
"We are waiting for their call. It will happen!" he wrote on social media Tuesday.
In the war of words, China also condemned remarks by Vice President JD Vance in which he said the United States had for too long borrowed money from "Chinese peasants."
The European Union sought to cool tensions, with the bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen warning against worsening the trade conflict in a call with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
She stressed stability for the world's economy as well as "the need to avoid further escalation," according to a readout from EU officials.
The Chinese premier told von der Leyen that the world's number two economy could weather the economic storm.
"China can fully hedge against adverse external effects, and is fully confident of maintaining sustained and healthy economic development," he said.
