Beijing expressed weariness with the repeated rounds of increases that threaten to make much of the trade between the world’s two biggest economies grind to a halt.

The China have escalated trade war by raising tariffs even as Trump hit a pause on tariffs for other countries.

The South African rand strengthened on Monday, boosted by a news report that the country's biggest political party may back down on a plan to raise value-added tax (VAT) and dollar weakness on global markets.