A Chinese diplomat on Sunday reportedly said his country is not looking for a trade war with the United States, but will not allow its interests to be hurt.
“China does not want to fight a trade war with the United States, but we absolutely will not sit by and watch as China’s interests are damaged,” said Zhang Yesui, the country’s vice foreign minister, as reported by Reuters.
{mosads}The remark comes after President Trump last week said he would slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a move that shook both Washington, D.C., and the global markets.
Trump on Friday described trade wars as “good and easy to win” after announcing his plan for the tariffs.
“When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win,” the president wrote on Twitter.
“Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!”
Zhang, who previously served as an ambassador to the U.S., said policies “made on the basis of mistaken judgments” could hurt relations.
“If policies are made on the basis of mistaken judgments or assumptions, it will damage bilateral relations and bring about consequences that neither country wants to see,” he said, according to Reuters.