Beijing: China doesn’t want a trade war with the United States but will act to protect its interests, a senior Chinese official said on Sunday, as other major US trading partners smarted at looming steel tariffs.

China’s response to Mr Trump’s announcement of 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium has been muted compared to the reaction of the EU and Canada because China doesn’t rank in the top 10 steel suppliers to the US.

"China does not want to fight a trade war with the United States, but we absolutely will not sit by and watch as China's interests are damaged," said vice foreign minister Zhang Yesui, the parliament’s spokesman on Sunday.

Zhang is a former ambassador to the United States.