China has promised to take "all necessary measures" to protect its interests in response to the 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the United States that came into effect today, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by bTA.
"China has always believed that protectionism offers no way out and that there are no winners in trade wars," Mao Ning, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference.
"The US actions seriously violate the rules" of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and "cause serious damage to the global trading system", she added.
"China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests", Mao added.
The US measure came into effect this morning (12:01 local time in Beijing), marking a new stage in the trade war between the US and Washington's main trading partners.
US President Donald Trump has already imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports during his first term (2017-2021), but the new rates this time will be "without exception and without exemption", he assured when announcing them in early February.
China is the world's largest steel producer, but is not the main supplier to the US, AFP reports.
Earlier in March, Donald Trump increased import duties on Chinese goods from 10 to 20 percent, to which Beijing responded by imposing retaliatory tariffs on imports of some American agricultural products.