"The US side is used to using a bludgeon but this won’t work with China, such irrational behavior will not solve the problem," the ministry’s spokesman Gao Feng told reporters.
In a tit-for-tat approach, the official said China would be forced to retaliate against US taxes with "harsh response measures" after Beijing announced 25-percent duties on $50 billion worth of US imports after a similar move by Washington.
The US president earlier threatened to impose 10-percent tariffs on an extra $200 billion in Chinese imports if Beijing continues what he sees as unfair trade policies. China has said this amounts to blackmail.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that Beijing had called on the US to use common sense in the wake of the latter's plans to introduce new tariffs on imports from the Asian country.
The spokesman reiterated that while China did not want a trade war, it was not afraid of one. Beijing will continue taking effective measures to defend its national interests and preserve multilateral trade, Geng pointed out.
The row between the United States and China erupted in March, after Trump, who has repeatedly pledged to fix the US trade deficit with China, announced that his administration would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.