Trade frictions between China and the United States must be resolved through negotiations, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said on Wednesday, while adding that Beijing will continue to hit back if Washington wants to keep up the fight.

China's retaliatory steps on planned U.S. tariffs linked to the Section 301 probe were a "forced" move, Zhu told reporters in Beijing.

At the same media briefing, Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen said the U.S. should relax its curbs on high-tech exports to China, to help cut its trade deficit with China.

Beijing's "Made in China 2025" strategy is transparent and not discriminatory, and is in line with World Trade Organization rules, Wang also said.