Beijing has expressed its dissatisfaction with the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on goods from China, Mexico and Canada. Beijing will file a case with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and take appropriate countermeasures, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said.
"China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firmly opposes", the ministry said in a statement on the tariffs, published on its website.
As the ministry stressed, Washington's unilateral imposition of tariffs seriously violates WTO rules and harms normal trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
The Ministry of Commerce also said that "in response to the wrong actions of the United States, China will file a case with the WTO and take appropriate countermeasures to resolutely safeguard its rights and interests".
Beijing urged Washington to correct the mistake and "move towards China, approach issues based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect, and conduct frank dialogue, strengthen cooperation and manage differences“.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday imposing tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China. At the same time, the document allows for the possibility of increasing tariffs if any of the countries covered by it introduce retaliatory measures.
Earlier, the US president said that Canada is responsible for significant amounts of drug smuggling into the US, drugs also enter the country through Mexico, and China produces them. He also said that drug cartels, declared terrorists, “are in league with the Mexican government and threaten national security and public health” of the United States.
As The Wall Street Journal reported, the new tariffs could undermine the global trading system and cause serious damage to key sectors of the US economy, including the auto industry, thereby opening up new opportunities for China in international markets.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canadians were shocked by the US decision.
“Canadians are amazed why our closest friends and neighbours are targeting us“, he said of Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.
Trudeau stressed that Washington and Ottawa must act together and jointly address common challenges in “other parts of the world“.