President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday tariffs hurt the multilateral trading system as he hosted his Azerbaijani counterpart for talks in Beijing.

Xi told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that trade wars "undermine the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, hurt the multilateral trading system, and impact the world economic order".

The president added that China is willing to work with Azerbaijan to safeguard the international system and carry out in depth law enforcement and security cooperation with Baku.

"China is ready to work with the Azerbaijan side to uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core... and safeguard international fairness and justice," Xinhua said.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry said it was willing to engage in trade talks with Washington, a day after US President Donald Trump signalled that hefty tariffs he imposed on the country would come down after the sides reach a deal.

"China pointed early on that there are no winners in tariff wars and trade wars," ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a daily press conference in Beijing, adding: "The door for talks is wide open."

But, Guo warned, "saying on the one hand that they want to reach an agreement with China, while on the other hand continuing to exert extreme pressure is not the correct way to have dealings with China".

Beijing and Washington have been embroiled in a blistering trade war since Trump this month slapped a 145 percent blanket tax on Chinese imports.

China responded with a 125 percent duty on goods from the US.

The Commerce Ministry this week warned other nations to be wary in seeking a deal with Washington.

"China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China's interests," it said on Monday.

"Appeasement will not bring peace, and compromise will not be respected."

On Tuesday, in phone calls with his British and Austrian counterparts, Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Britain and the European Union to help in defending multilateral trade. (Agencies)