The Trump administration’s targeting of China’s biggest technology groups has prompted concerns of forceful retaliation against US businesses.

President Donald Trump this month signed executive orders that could hit the operations of China’s most valuable start-up ByteDance and Tencent, the country’s second-largest tech company by market capitalisation. On Monday, Washington moved to cut off Huawei’s access to its global suppliers, which some say could prove lethal for the Chinese telecoms group.

But despite mounting political pressure to unveil commensurate restrictions on US businesses in China, Beijing has historically been reluctant to retaliate. Analysts think officials will continue to hold back, as they are reluctant to upset the economic benefits and innovation US companies bring to China.