China will play along to the end if the United States was bent on waging a trade or tariff war, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

China on Tuesday swiftly retaliated against fresh U.S. tariffs, announcing 10%-15% hikes to import levies covering a range of American agricultural and food products. It also placed 25 U.S. firms under export and investment restrictions on national security grounds.

China's countermeasures are to protect its own rights and interests, ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular press conference on Tuesday, urging the U.S. to return to dialog and cooperation as soon as possible.