Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a news briefing on Thursday that Beijing is ready to retaliate if Washington fails to correct its "wrong actions".
Feng added that new levies will inevitably lead to escalation regardless of the delays in their implementation announced by Donald Trump. Nevertheless, the official raised hopes that the US would halt its current course against China.
On Wednesday, the US President proclaimed himself "the chosen one" to punish China for years of "trade cheating". Trump said that his predecessors failed to confront Beijing on trade, adding that the negative economic implications felt today were the repercussions of their inactivity.
The United States and China have been locked in a trade conflict since June 2018, when Trump announced levies on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports justifying the move by the need to balance the trade deficit. Since then, the two countries have introduced several rounds of reciprocal tariffs.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration decided to postpone tariffs on some Chinese imports to avoid hurting US shoppers ahead of the Christmas holiday season.