China is taking an unusual approach with its response to the intensifying trade battle with the US, ripping up the playbook it has relied on in other economic disputes as it seeks allies in Europe, Asia and within the US itself.

Previous trade fights with Japan, France, the Philippines and most recently South Korea have been accompanied by a dialling up of hostility in China’s state-run media and bruising “boycott diplomacy” against those nations’ corporations.

This time, however, China has cautiously parried the US measures as it seeks instead to present itself as an attractive investment destination, while President Donald Trump’s administration pressed ahead with tariffs on $34bn in goods. This week, the Trump administration released a fresh list of $200bn in goods that could face tariffs in two months.