Xinhua News Agency reported that on February 2, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that China was very dissatisfied with and firmly opposed the US decision to impose an additional 10% tariff on goods imported from China.
In response to the US action, China will file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and take corresponding countermeasures to firmly safeguard its rights and interests, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
The spokesman said that the US unilaterally imposing additional tariffs seriously violated WTO rules, noting that this move not only failed to solve its own problems but also disrupted normal economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
China calls on the US side to objectively and rationally consider and resolve the fentanyl issue and related issues, instead of frequently using tariffs to threaten other countries, the statement said.
The spokesperson stressed that the US side should correct its mistakes and work with China to reach a common agreement, and called on the US to directly face up to problems, engage in candid dialogues, strengthen cooperation and manage differences on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect.
Earlier, on February 1, US President Donald Trump ordered a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on goods from China, saying Beijing needed to stop the flow of fentanyl, a deadly opioid, into the US.
According to Reuters, filing a complaint with the WTO is a symbolic move that Beijing also made when the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars.
For weeks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning has said Beijing believes there are no winners in a trade war.
