Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which together make up the BRICS grouping, will confirm at their upcoming summit that they oppose the trade protectionism which the United States has pursued, a senior Chinese official said Friday.

The United States "has waged a trade war against countries across the globe," Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun said at a press conference, adding that BRICS nations "have clearly stood against protectionism."

(Zhang Jun)

BRICS leaders are scheduled to gather in South Africa for three days from July 25.

"A trade war waged by the United States is a serious threat to the world economy," Zhang said. "China does not want a trade war, but under the current circumstances, we are forced to be up to the challenge."

Zhang added that BRICS countries should work together to tackle risks to emerging economies and financial markets, which would be triggered by the trade dispute between the world's two largest economies.

Washington said Tuesday that it will impose 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports as early as September, in response to China's alleged intellectual property and technology theft.

The latest U.S. decision came after President Donald Trump's administration slapped additional 25 percent duties on $34 billion in Chinese imports last Friday -- the first round of the new tariffs worth $50 billion.

China immediately retaliated with duties on the same value of U.S. goods.

Trump has also expressed his desire to reduce the huge U.S. trade deficit with China.

China's trade surplus with the United States expanded 13.8 percent from a year earlier to $133.7 billion for the first six months of this year, according to data released by Beijing's customs office.