Hours later, Trump said in the Oval Office that he will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and “hopefully we’ll work that out,” while still insisting China had violated the agreement.

The flurry of punitive measures taken against China by the Trump administration over the last few days was prompted by a belief among US officials that China has failed to live up to commitments it made in trade talks earlier this month,

The legal confusion over tariffs has buffeted U.S. trading partners around the world, casting doubt on the durability of Trump’s favorite bargaining tool.