China says no one wants a trade war

BEIJING (Reuters) - No one wants a trade war, China's foreign ministry said on Thursday, adding that the country was not provoking one, ahead of the start date of July 6 set by the United States to levy tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports.

The United States is very clear about China's position on the trade issue, ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily news briefing.

(Reporting by Christian Shepherd; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)