The Trump administration is reportedly planning to impose import tariffs on European steel and aluminum after finding no satisfaction in its effort to win trading concessions on the issue.

An announcement to drop the EU from a tariff exemption of 25% on imported steel, and 10% on aluminum, could come on Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The move is likely to bring retaliatory action from European Union trade regulators, who have warned they will target US products as motorcycles, jeans and bourbon if additional US tariffs are imposed.

Signs of increasing friction between the US and Europe over trade came early on Wednesday when Wilbur Ross, the US commerce secretary, drew a sharp line with the EU over Chinese trade negotiations, telling counterparts at a trade development panel in Paris that Europe is using tariffs as an “excuse” to refuse trade negotiations.

Ross said: “China are paying their tariffs. China hasn’t used that as an excuse not to negotiate. It’s only the EU that is insisting we can’t negotiate if there are tariffs.”

Ross’s comments came in response to EU criticism of import tariffs the Trump administration imposed on dozens of trade partners in March. On Tuesday, the White House added $50bn in new tariffs, despite telling China the trade dispute was “on hold” while negotiations continued.

European trade negotiators have said they are open to discussions but would not “negotiate under threat”. That position was re-inforced by Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch foreign trade and development minister, who said the EU should enjoy an “unlimited exemption”.

Kaag said: “We’re finding ourselves in a situation we shouldn’t be at. Dialogue with the US remains primordial … the fact China continues negotiations I don’t think applies to us in this case.”

Ross expressed confidence that trade negotiations would likely take place “with or without tariffs in place”. He added: “God knows, there are plenty of tariffs the EU has on us. So it’s not that you can’t talk just because there are tariffs.”

Ross is scheduled for a second round of talks with China in Beijing this weekend. But administration officials have hinted these may not go ahead if the two sides fail to reach agreement about issues to be discussed.

“If the working-level teams from both sides can’t agree on anything, there would be no point for Ross to take the trip,” the Wall Street Journal quoted one as saying.

Chin’sa response to the latest US threat of tariffs on technology products came in a article in the official Xinhua news agency. It said the Trump administration’s “flip-flopping” is hurting US “national credibility”.

Key to the success of the talks will be the fate of the telecommunications equipment giant ZTE Corp. Trump has proposed to allow the Iran-sanctions busting firm to resume buying US components, a plan strongly opposed by senior Republican lawmakers, including Florida senator Marco Rubio.

Trump’s refusal to grant Japan an exemption to the steel and aluminum tariffs is also putting strain on his relationship with Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister. The pair are due to meet at the White House next week.

Japan has already notified the World Trade Organization it reserves the right to impose counter-measures. It said it faces a $440m annual impact from the metal tariffs.

Now it faces the possibility of a further hit to a key industry stemming from the Trump administration’s decision last week to launch a national security-related investigation into car and truck imports.

“We can’t accept this,” Abe told parliament on Wednesday when asked about the various trade issues, according to Bloomberg News. “From a security perspective, it’s very difficult to understand why this would be imposed on Japan, a military ally.”