Lin argued putting "America first" before international trade rules harms global production and will impair the world's economic recovery. "Pressure and threats are not the way to deal with China," Lin said. "China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests." The remarks come after Trump put an additional 34 percent tariff on Chinese goods, on top of two rounds of 10 percent tariffs announced earlier this year. China responded with its own 34 percent tariff on U.S. goods. Ling Ji, a Chinese vice minister of commerce, said the "tariff problem" starts in the U.S. and pledged that Beijing remains open to foreign investment.