There are no winners in trade wars. This was warned by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The spokesman for the ministry, Guo Jiakun, said that this had become a "general consensus" in the international community.
Addressing the United States, he stressed that Washington should realize that the world does not need tariffs, but rather "consultations" through which all concerns and fears can be resolved.
Beijing will "continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," the spokesman assured.
Additional tariffs of 10% on all Chinese imports to the US came into effect on February 4. This came after Trump repeatedly warned Beijing that it was not doing enough to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
In a reciprocal measure, on February 10, China's Ministry of Finance imposed a 15% tariff on American coal and LNG, as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural equipment and some automobiles.
During his first term in 2018, Trump has initiated a bitter two-year trade war with China over its huge U.S. trade surplus, imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods that have disrupted global supply chains and damaged the world economy.
Trump has warned that he could further increase tariffs on China unless Beijing stops the flow of fentanyl, a deadly opioid, into the United States.
China has called fentanyl America's problem and said it will challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organization and take other countermeasures, but has left the door open for negotiations.