Washington DC - Vice President JD Vance placed the responsibility on Beijing to cool down US-China tensions, despite President Donald Trump's decision to relaunch his brutal tariff war over the weekend.

"It's going to be a delicate dance," Vance told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. "And a lot of it is going to depend on how the Chinese respond."

"If they respond in a highly aggressive manner, I guarantee you, the president of the United States has far more cards than the People’s Republic of China."

Vance's threats come days after Trump renewed his trade war with Beijing, leveling an additional 100% levy on imports from China and threatening to cancel an upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Trump justified the tariff hike by claiming that China is imposing "export controls" on most US products, despite the fact that Chinese tariffs on US exports remain at 10% while US tariffs sit at many multiples of that level.

China hit back on Sunday, vowing to introduce "resolute measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests."

Trump attempted to backpedal and cool things off with Beijing, writing on Truth Social that "President Xi just had a bad moment. He doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I."

Vance also tried to play down the situation, claiming that Trump "appreciates the friendship that he's developed with Xi."

"We have a lot of leverage. And my hope, and I know the president's hope, is that we don't have to use that leverage," Vance said.

"We're going to find out a lot in the weeks to come about whether China wants to start a trade war with us, or whether they actually want to be reasonable. I hope they choose the path of reason."