China on Monday insisted that the BRICS alliance—which includes Brazil, Russia, India, and China—is not aimed at confrontation, responding to United States President, Donald Trump’s pledge to impose an extra 10% tariff on countries aligning with the bloc.

“Regarding the imposition of tariffs, China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would begin sending the first batch of tariff warning letters—up to 15 in total—on Monday, ahead of a looming deadline for trade partners to strike new deals.

He warned that U.S. import tariffs would return to the steep levels set in April if negotiations fail.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump threatened to impose an extra 10% tariff on nations aligning with BRICS, accusing them of “anti-Americanism” after the bloc criticized his trade policies at a summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

Formed two decades ago as a coalition of fast-growing economies, BRICS is now widely seen as a China-led alternative to U.S. and Western dominance.

However, Beijing on Monday defended BRICS as “an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries.”

“It advocates openness, inclusivity and win-win cooperation,” Mao said.

“It does not engage in camp confrontation and is not targeted at any country,” she said.