China’s government on Sunday condemned the Trump administration’s imposition of a long-threatened 10% tariff on Chinese imports, while leaving room for talks with the US to potentially avoid further conflict.

Beijing will challenge President Donald Trump’s tariff at the World Trade Organisation and take unspecified “countermeasures” in response to the levy, which will take effect on Tuesday, according to the finance and commerce ministries. The response was more measured than the immediate escalation seen during China’s trade dispute with Trump in his first term and reflected Beijing's recent, more cautious tone.

Trump had ordered 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and 10% on goods from China, asserting that Beijing needed to stop the flow of fentanyl, a deadly opioid, into the United States.

China’s commerce ministry said in a statement that Trump’s action “seriously violates” international trade rules, urging the US to “engage in frank dialogue and strengthen cooperation.”

Filing a lawsuit with the WTO would be largely symbolic, as Beijing had previously taken similar steps against tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles imposed by the European Union.

For weeks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has emphasised that Beijing believes there are no winners in a trade war.

China’s sharpest rebuke on Sunday focused on fentanyl, an issue where both Trump’s administration and that of his predecessor, Joe Biden, had called on Beijing to curb the export of chemicals used in fentanyl production.

“Fentanyl is America’s problem,” said China’s foreign ministry. “The Chinese side has carried out extensive anti-narcotics cooperation with the United States and achieved remarkable results.”