The EU does not want a trade war with Beijing but five years of talks have yielded no real progress, the bloc's ambassador to China said on Saturday, adding that concern was growing over Chinese market access for European medical devices.

The Chinese economy is more dependent on exports, making tariffs more potent, yet it’s less reliant on American markets and increasingly bent on self-sufficiency.

With Donald Trump’s election victory sparking expectations of steep tariffs, US importers are expected to rush to front-load goods from China even before January’s inauguration to sidestep potential cost increases and deliver a surprising boost to Chinese exports.