During the recent US presidential election campaign, trade with China took center stage, with Republican candidate Mitt Romney accusing President Barack Obama of adopting too soft a trade stance toward China, vowing to label the nation a "currency manipulator" if he won the election.
In October, the US announced it was to impose sharply higher tariffs on solar cells imported from China for the next five years, in response to a case filed last year by SolarWorld Industries America.
China criticized the move, saying it will hurt trade relations and provoke further trade friction.
"The end of the US presidential election does not mean the US will loosen its restrictions on the Chinese exports, but unfortunately, our forecast is not positive," said Han Yong, a division cheif of the ministry's Bureau of Fair Trade for Imports & Exports.
"We will probably see trade conflicts between China and the US grow in the coming months", while US economic growth falters, he said.
Lawmakers recently urged the US Congress to conduct an investigation into Chinese telecom equipment makers Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp.
Commerce Minister Chen Deming accused Washington in response, of a "Cold War" mentality for claiming that Beijing was involved in cyber espionage.
Landmark building should respect the public's feeling