The Chinese ambassador to the United States said Sunday that China "never wanted to have a trade war" with the United States and said China has defended itself against attacks from the U.S.

Cui Tiankai said on "Fox News Sunday" that it's "important to notice who started this trade war" between the U.S. and China. The two countries have exchanged tariffs in recent months.

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"We never want to have a trade war. If someone started a trade war against us, we have to respond and defend our own interests," Cui said.

The U.S. and China first exchanged about $50 billion in tariffs on each other's goods over the summer, with President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE levying the first tariffs.

Last month, Trump hit U.S. imports from China with a new 10 percent tariff on $200 billion in goods and Beijing retaliated with $60 billion in tariffs. Trump has also threatened another $257 to $267 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, which would cover all U.S. imports from China.

Cui said Sunday that China doesn't want to have a trade war "with any other country, including the United States."

"But the fact is through the bilateral trade between China and the United States, you know how much benefit American consumers have got over the years and how much money American companies have made from their operation in China," he said. "You have to look at the whole pictures.”