China has warned it is "ready for any type of war" with America as tensions escalate following Donald Trump's increased tariffs on Chinese goods.
The stark message came just hours after the President's speech to Congress, with Beijing vowing to "fight till the end" if the US wants "a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war".
The warning signals a dramatic deterioration in relations between the world's two largest economies.
The Chinese embassy in Washington DC posted on social media: "If the US truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals.
The Chinese embassy in Washington DC said: "If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end"
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"If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end."
This response came after Trump accused China of failing to do enough to stem the flow of fentanyl into the US.
The trade war between the superpowers escalated further as Trump hiked levies on Chinese goods to a total of 20 per cent.
China swiftly retaliated by imposing 15 per cent tariffs on American agricultural products.
The Independent reports that China has accused the White House of "blackmail" over the tariff increases.
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Donald Trump accused China of failing to do enough to stem the flow of fentanyl into the US
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Beijing's foreign ministry said China will fight the US "to the bitter end" if Washington "persists in waging a tariff war, a trade war, or any other kind of war".
Meanwhile, China announced it would boost its defence spending by 7.2 per cent this year, matching last year's increase.
The announcement came as China's top leaders gathered in Beijing for the annual National People's Congress.
Premier Li Qiang warned that "changes unseen in a century were unfolding across the world at a faster pace."
China has the world's second-largest military budget at £190billion, though it remains far smaller than that of the US.
China has dismissed the fentanyl issue as "a flimsy excuse to raise US tariffs on Chinese imports."
A foreign ministry spokesperson stated: "Intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China.
"Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating."
