US President Donald Trump has kicked off the week threatening China with an additional fifty per cent tariff, doing little to ease global trade war concerns from rattled stock markets across the world.

While there was a temporary halt to Monday's downward slide after reports circulated that Mr Trump was mulling over a 90-day pause in tariffs for all countries except China,  the White House has rejected those reports as "fake news."  

• Guest: Steven Hamilton, Assistant Professor at George Washington University and a former Australian Treasury official
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic