The Chinese commerce ministry on Thursday, urged the United States to stop putting extreme pressure on the world's second-largest economy.
This was as it demanded respect in any trade talks, but the two sides remained at an impasse over who should start those talks.
The administration of the US President, Donald Trump, has been reportedly ramping up pressure on China by raising import tariffs on Chinese goods in recent months.
The White House on Tuesday published a fact sheet, stating that China now faces up to a 245% tariff.
China's commerce ministry has faulted the tariffs as irrational, saying Beijing will ignore the meaningless tariff numbers game.
It has also warned that China will fight to the end if the US insists on heaping substantial damage on China's rights and interests.
A Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson, He Yongqian,
told a weekly news conference that the unilateral tariff increases were entirely initiated by the United States.
Unlike a number of nations that have responded to Trump's reciprocal tariffs by seeking deals with Washington, China has been upping its own levies on US goods in response and has not sought talks, which it says can only be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and equality.
According to Washington on Tuesday, Trump was open to making a trade deal with China but Beijing should make the first move and that the ball is in China's court.
“We urge the United States to immediately stop extreme pressure, coercion and blackmail, and resolve differences with China through equal dialogue on the basis of mutual respect,” the commerce ministry spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the commerce ministry has been maintaining working-level communication with its US counterparts, stressing that China is open to economic and trade consultations with the United States.
