The first punches have been thrown between the United States and China in what could amount to a short-lived trade dispute with limited economic fallout or the start of yet another lengthy and painful trade war reminiscent of President Donald Trump’s first term.

Beijing has made its decision. After days of warning of counter measures and urging Washington to enter negotiations and "meet China halfway", it has decided to hit back – or at least threaten to retaliate with its own tariffs.

China extended its support for the yuan by setting its daily reference rate for the managed currency at a level stronger than 7.2 per dollar, as escalating trade tensions with the US add to the depreciation pressure on the yuan.

The yuan weakened on Wednesday as escalating U.S.-China trade tensions rattled Chinese markets post-Lunar New Year. The dollar surged over 0.5% against the yuan to 7.2856, despite the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) setting