"China strongly opposes this. We will firmly take countermeasures to defend our own rights and interests," the ministry said in a statement, posted on its website, TASS reported.
It said that tariffs seriously harm legitimate rights and interests of all nations, describing them as "typical practice of unilateral intimidation."
"History proved that raising tariffs will not solve US problems," the statement said, adding that Trump’s policy of protectionism will not only harm the US interests, but will also put global economic development and stability of supply chains at risk.
"There can be no winners in a trade war. Protectionism is a path to nowhere. China calls upon the United States to immediately cancel unilateral tariffs and duly settle differences with trade partners through equal dialogue," the Chinese ministry said.
Trump announced on April 2 that the United States will introduce the baseline tariff of 10% for imported goods. For some countries, individual tariffs were introduced. Additional tariffs for China were set at 34%.