China wants trade talks but if US wants fight it will fight

China's new UN ambassador says Beijing is ready to talk to the Trump administration about their escalating trade war but "if they want to fight we will fight" not just for China but for an open international economy.

Zhang Jun told a small group of reporters Friday that US sanctions and increasing tariffs hurt China and the world, and definitely are not "in the long-term interest of the United States," where American consumers will be paying higher prices.

Zhang also said sanctions against North Korea should be eased at an "appropriate time" to encourage progress in talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

He also stressed that China will never allow any interference in Xinjiang, which has a large Muslim population, or in Tibet and Hong Kong.