During a closed-door meeting with Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz last week, Xi Jinping was asked what he thought the chances were for a successful conclusion of this week’s China-US trade talks in Washington. “Fifty-fifty,” the Chinese president replied, according to three people briefed on the discussion.

Those odds changed dramatically on Monday morning after Mr Xi was greeted by tweets from US president Donald Trump threatening to raise tariffs on Chinese exports to the US as early as Friday. The move enraged officials in Beijing.

As of mid-afternoon on Monday, it appeared likely that Mr Xi’s lead trade negotiator would at least choose to delay his planned trip to Washington this week for a “final round” of trade talks that both sides had strongly hinted would result in a draft agreement.