LUSAKA - US President Donald Trump's trade protectionist measures will harm the global economy and hurt the United States as well, a former Zambian finance minister said Tuesday.

Trump's decision to impose hefty tariffs on foreign imports will also imperil the economies of the least developed countries, Alexander Chikwanda said.

The Trump administration "need to be told by the global community that they are setting the world ablaze with the tariffs they are rolling out. They distort things to justify draconian (measures) which will hurt the global economy and will hurt America in the not too distant future," he said.

Chikwanda warned that the US trade actions will be met with reciprocal measures.

Talking about trade tensions between the US and China, he said the two sides should seek a negotiated win-win result.