China said it is ready to fight “any kind of war” with the United States as President Donald Trump continues to exert economic and political pressure on the country.

“If the United States wants a war, whether it is a tariff war, a trade war or any other kind of war, we are ready to fight to the end,” the Chinese Embassy in the United States said in a note posted on X on Wednesday, signaling an increasingly aggressive stance toward the United States.

The statement came as Trump imposed an additional 10% tariff on goods imported from China on Tuesday, bringing the cumulative tariffs imposed in about a month to 20%.

“If the US has a different agenda and wants to harm China’s interests, we are ready to fight to the end.” “We urge the US to stop dominating and return to correct dialogue and cooperation,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

In swift retaliation for the US tariffs, Beijing announced on Tuesday that it would impose additional tariffs of up to 15% on certain American goods and new export restrictions on designated US entities starting March 10.

Responding to a question about the Chinese embassy’s statements, US Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday that the US is not actively seeking conflict with China but that the country is “prepared.”

“We live in a dangerous world with powerful, emerging countries with very different ideologies, and if we want to avoid war with the Chinese or anyone else, we must be strong,” he added.

Beijing’s tariff action targeting U.S. agricultural exports reflects an attempt to exert political pressure on Trump from farmers, Gabriel Wildo, managing director of Teneo, a major Republican voter, said in a note.

Agricultural products are the United States’ largest export to China, and soybeans are at the top of the list of items on which Beijing has imposed a new 10% tariff. During the last U.S.-China trade war, Chinese tariffs prompted domestic importers to shift their soybean purchases to Brazil and Argentina.

Beijing has signaled its willingness to use fiscal and monetary stimulus this year to offset their impact as U.S. tariffs threaten to cripple China’s exports, a rare bright spot in a slowing economy.

Trump announced two rounds of Chinese tariffs in response to the Asian country’s alleged role in the fentanyl trade. The addictive drug, whose precursors are largely manufactured in China and Mexico, has led to tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States each year.

China has called the U.S. fentanyl-related explanation for imposing the tariffs a “weak excuse.”

Following the initial round of new U.S. tariffs in February, China’s retaliatory measures included raising tariffs on certain U.S. energy imports and adding two U.S. companies to a list of untrustworthy entities that could limit their ability to do business in the Asian country.

There will be disagreements over China-US relations, but Beijing will not accept pressure or threats, Lu Qingjian, spokesman for the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress, told reporters on Tuesday morning.

China’s biggest political gathering of the year opened in Beijing on Tuesday, where the government will set key economic targets for 2025 and unveil its economic plan for the year. The event is due to end on March 11.

Washington and Beijing are hoping to reach an agreement to roll back some tariffs after a series of talks, but Wilde warned that risks are growing for a “broad and lasting disconnect between the two economies.”

China said in its government work report on Wednesday that it would increase defense spending by 7.2% this year to “safeguard” its national security.