Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held a phone contact on Saturday.
During their conversation, Liu said the U.S. has violated international trade rules and China is ready to defend its interests, according to the country's official Xinhua news agency.
It was the highest-level contact between the two governments since U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans for tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese goods.
“China still hopes both sides will remain rational and jointly work together to keep bilateral trade relations stable,” Liu added.