Beijing said on Tuesday that it had filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation against the United States over President Donald Trump’s tariff increases on Chinese goods.
The statement comes a day after Trump ordered additional tariffs on Chinese goods, raising previously imposed 10 per cent levies to 20 per cent.
“The United States’ unilateral tax measures seriously violate WTO rules and undermine the foundation of China-US economic and trade cooperation,” Beijing’s commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that it was “strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed” to the tariffs.
In response, Beijing has imposed new duties on a range of agricultural imports from the United States.
The additional 15 per cent tariffs on products including chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton are set to take effect next week.
“China will, in accordance with WTO rules, firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests and defend… the international economic and trade order,” the commerce ministry added.
A WTO official confirmed to AFP that the new complaint from China had been received.
Trump, in imposing the tariffs, said China had not done enough to halt the trafficking of fentanyl and other highly potent opioids, which kill thousands of Americans each year.
Analysts suggest that stopping the flow of deadly drugs is just one of Trump’s objectives, as he also frequently cites trade imbalances when discussing tariffs.
In a white paper released on Tuesday, China’s National Narcotics Control Commission highlighted actions taken to crack down on fentanyl-related trafficking, according to state media.
“Since implementing full control of fentanyl-related substances, China has not detected any further cases of smuggling or selling fentanyl-related substances abroad,” Xinhua reported, quoting a senior commission official.
China is a major market for US energy exports. According to Beijing customs data, imports of oil, coal, and LNG totalled more than $7 billion last year.
Beijing launched a similar dispute in February when Trump first threatened the tariffs, describing the levies as “malicious” at the time.
It also announced plans to investigate US tech giant Google and the American fashion group that owns Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.
Trump has made tariffs a key foreign policy tool of his second term, joking that the word “tariff” is the “most beautiful” in the dictionary.
The Republican president has also imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada, arguing that they are penalties for failing to curb the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.
AFP