China does not want a trade war with the United States that would be disaster for the world, Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said Sunday, three days after U.S. President Donald Trump declared he would impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

"Any trade war would not create winners and it would only bring disastrous results" for China, the United States and the rest of the world, Zhong said at a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress, China's parliament.

On Thursday, Trump announced he was ordering the imposition of a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum, but indicated certain countries might be exempted. China is not one of those nations.

Zhong said China has the ability to deal with "any kind of challenges" and the country will "decisively" protect the interests of the state and its people.

Beijing has indicated it will implement retaliatory measures, such as by imposing tariffs on agricultural products imported from the United States.

China, however, wants to prevent the trade conflict with Washington from escalating, with the Asian power eager to build good political relations with the United States, sources close to the matter said.

The U.S. deficit with China came to $375 billion in 2017, accounting for roughly half the nation's trade deficit globally, Washington said last month.

The Trump administration has urged Beijing to take steps to reduce the U.S.-China trade deficit by $100 billion.

Zhong said the United States has overestimated its trade deficit with China by around 20 percent every year, adding the two countries have different ways of calculating trade figures.

It is "important" to resolve the bilateral trade dispute through dialogue and to deepen economic cooperation between China and the United States, Zhong said.

Beijing and Washington have agreed to hold talks in Beijing in the near future to discuss economic and trade matters.

Zhong also said he plans to meet with Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko to discuss trade and investment issues.

In recent years, Beijing has sought to expand infrastructure networks in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa to achieve its goal of connecting countries along the ancient Silk Road more closely, under the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

"We want to cooperate with Japan further" in advancing the Chinese project, Zhong said.

Seko is expected to visit China sometime soon, a diplomatic source said.