From routinely sounding conciliatory and urging dialogue, the Chinese rhetoric has quickly shifted to a combative tone, while signalling a battening down of the hatches.

The party sees Mr Trump's recent moves as something of a betrayal, especially after China has made concessions by amending its foreign investment law, quickening reforms and pledging to buy more US goods, only to be slapped with new tariffs. But there is now also a realisation that the political elites had got it wrong.