The Chinese Foreign Ministry says the country will retaliate if it is forced into a trade war by the US. At a news conference, the ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying said trade with China has helped average American families.

The remarks come after 45 trade associations, representing a large portion of the American economy, asked the Trump administration to halt plans to impose tariffs on Chinese goods. The groups said tariffs would harm the US economy, consumers, and the nation's competitiveness.

HUA CHUNYING FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON "China-US economic and trade cooperation helped each American family save some 850 US dollars. If the US didn't gain any real benefits from the cooperation, the cooperation would not have shown continuous and rapid growth. We want no trade war with anyone, but if our hands are forced, we will neither show fear nor recoil from it. Therefore, if the day does come that the US takes measures to hurt our interests, we will definitely take firm and necessary countermeasures to safeguard our legitimate interests."