BEIJING - China said Monday that a China-US trade war would lead nowhere, as President Donald Trump is poised to begin a trade investigation into China.

Trump is reportedly expected to sign an executive order Monday asking his trade office to consider an investigation into China over alleged theft of American technology and intellectual property.

"With the increasingly interwoven interests between China and the United States, a trade war will lead nowhere and neither side will win," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing.

The China-US trade relationship is win-win in nature. The two sides should resolve their concerns through dialogue and protect the healthy development of economic relations, Hua said.

China has always attached importance to protecting intellectual property rights by formulating laws and regulations, cracking down on violations and raising public awareness of intellectual property rights protection, she said.

The United States should objectively evaluate China's progress in this regard and China's economic achievement through homegrown innovation, Hua said.

She refuted any intention by the United States to use the trade issue in exchange for Chinese pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, saying "the Korean Peninsula issue and trade fall into different spheres."

China and the United States should respect and cooperate with each other on the two separate issues, Hua said. "It would not be proper to use one as a tool to exert pressure on the other."