Beijing has warned that it will retaliate against countries that enter into trade agreements with the United States at the expense of China's interests, Euronews reported.

In response to the sharply increased US tariffs, China's Ministry of Commerce said Beijing "respects the efforts of all parties to resolve trade disputes with the United States through equal consultation." However, China will not accept any US-led trade deals that harm its interests, and will "respond resolutely and reciprocally with countermeasures" to protect its rights and interests.

China described the US tariffs as "unilateral bullying" in international trade, specifying that "if international trade returns to the law of the jungle, in which the strong eat the weak, all countries will become victims."

Last week, the Trump administration announced that it plans to pressure U.S. trading partners to limit agreements with China as part of ongoing tariff negotiations. Countries with close trade ties to China could be subjected to so-called secondary tariffs.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping last week visited major trading partners in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, on his first overseas trip of the year. The visit underscored "China's new effort to strengthen regional stability and prosperity and its resolute support for regional economic integration as global protectionism and unilateralism continue to grow," state-run Xinhua news agency wrote.

The trade war appears to have peaked between the US and China, with both sides signalling that no further tariff increases are on the cards. So far, the US has imposed a total of 145% tariffs on Chinese goods. China responded with 125% tariffs on US goods and said it would "ignore" any future increases, calling them a "meaningless numbers game."

However, China has recently imposed restrictions on exports of a wide range of key minerals, mainly affecting the US. A few days later, Trump signed an executive order investigating imports of critical metals, stating, "They are essential raw materials and important inputs needed for economic and national security."

The Trump administration has announced charges on Chinese-built ships that dock in U.S. ports. The decision, announced by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), followed a year-long investigation originally launched under the Biden administration.

While President Trump has repeatedly indicated that China will approach the US about a trade deal, there has been no clear indication from Beijing that an agreement is on the way to fruition. | BGNES