Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of a key political meeting, Wang Yi warned the "law of the jungle" could take hold in the world
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of a key political meeting, Wang Yi warned the "law of the jungle" could take hold in the world AFP

China's foreign minister on Friday vowed Beijing would "firmly counter" US pressure, after Donald Trump heaped tariffs on Chinese goods and torched off a trade war between the world's two largest economies.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of a key political meeting, Wang Yi warned the "law of the jungle" could take hold in the world if nations were to pursue purely their own interests.

Touting Beijing's cooperation in the fight against the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, Wang said Washington should not "repay kindness with resentment, let alone impose tariffs without reason".

"There are around 190 countries in the world," Wang said.

"Imagine if every country emphasised their own priority and believed in strength and status, the world would fall back into the law of the jungle," he added.

Washington's current policy, Wang said, was "not how a responsible major country behaves".

"China-US economic and trade ties are mutual," the veteran diplomat said.

"If you choose to cooperate, you can achieve mutually beneficial and win-win results. If you use only pressure, China will firmly counter," he added.

Wang also called for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, warning "conflict has no winners, and peace has no losers".

"China welcomes and supports all efforts dedicated to peace," he stressed.

And he urged all parties to seek a "comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and increase humanitarian assistance".

The Chinese top diplomat was speaking on the sidelines of the "Two Sessions" political meetings in Beijing, so far clouded by a new administration in the United States that is overturning the international order.

Beijing has vowed to fight a trade war with the United States "to the end" as tariffs from Washington buffeted the global economy and threatened to hit Beijing's lagging growth.

The country's leaders set an ambitious annual growth target of around five percent this week, vowing to make domestic demand its main economic driver as the escalating trade confrontation with the United States hit exports.

US President Donald Trump imposed more blanket tariffs on Chinese imports this week, following a similar move last month -- levies expected to hit hundreds of billions of dollars in total trade between the world's two largest economies.