China’s government criticized the Trump administration’s decision to apply a 10% tariff on Chinese imports on Sunday. The government also expressed willingness to engage in discussions with the US to prevent further escalation of the conflict.

Beijing announced plans to challenge the tariff imposed by President Donald Trump at the World Trade Organization. Additionally, they stated that they would take unspecified retaliatory actions in response to the tariff, which will go into effect on Tuesday, as stated by the finance and commerce ministries.

China’s response reflects a more restrained approach compared to the immediate escalation seen during Trump’s first term. This measured language by Beijing in recent weeks signifies a shift in their approach towards dealing with trade disputes.

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

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

Filing a lawsuit with the WTO would be a largely symbolic move that Beijing has also taken against tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles by the European Union.

For weeks Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has said Beijing believes there is no winner in a trade war.

China’s sharpest pushback on Sunday was over fentanyl, an area where the administration of Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, had also been urging Beijing to crack down on shipments of the China-made precursor chemicals needed to manufacture the drug.

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