China 'looking at all options' regarding Trump tariffs plan: Ambassador

[Video source: Facebook account of Chinese embassy in the U.S.]

China's Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, said that China is currently "looking at all options" to fight back against the tariffs plan recently announced by the Trump administration.

The ambassador made the remarks when speaking with Bloomberg News after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum that could see tariffs worth up to 60 billion U.S. dollars imposed on imports from China.

When asked about the possibility that China's government would scale back purchases of U.S. treasuries in response to Trump's trade move, Ambassador Cui Tiankai said that China is looking at all the tools it has at its disposal.

"We are looking at all options. That's why we believe any unilateral and protectionist move would hurt everybody, including the United States itself. It would certainly hurt the daily life of American middle-class people, and the American companies, and the financial markets."

Responding to accusations that China was responsible for the theft of intellectual property from the United States, the ambassador said that the evidence was not persuasive, and that more proof was required.

"A lot of accusations this time are not supported by evidence. For instance, Chinese laws protect intellectual property rights. And we are ready to help any business that's seeing any violations. But there's no evidence provided. It helps nobody to make sweeping accusations."

Cui said that China doesn't understand the sudden unilateral move taken by the United States, given that the two sides are still in ongoing discussions. He said that China will be watching the next steps made by the U.S. side and will decide what actions to take accordingly.

Cui said that China doesn't want to engage a trade war with anyone, and he called on both sides to take a cooperative and constructive attitude in dealing with bilateral ties.

"There's great potential, and indeed good prospect for cooperation between China and the United States. But the key is that both sides have to take a cooperative and constructive approach. A confrontational one will not help anybody."