China hits back at US tariffs with vow to take case to the WTO

Name: China hits back at US tariffs with vow to take case to the WTO
Uploaded: 2025-02-02T03:28:13.000Z
Duration: 2 min 46 s
Description: China hits back at US tariffs with vow to take case to the WTO

Decision by Trump administration to impose 10 per cent tariffs on imports from China ‘disrupts normal China-US trade’, Ministry of Commerce says

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

In response to US tariffs, China says it will safeguard its interests. Photo: AFP

Sylvia Ma

Published: 11:28am, 2 Feb 2025Updated: 6:13pm, 3 Feb 2025

China will file a claim with the WTO and take corresponding countermeasures to safeguard its interests, the Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday after the US announced it would impose tariffs on Chinese goods.

“The unilateral tariff hikes by the US seriously violate World Trade Organization rules,” the ministry said, adding that the move “not only fails to address America’s own issues” but also “disrupts normal China-US economic and trade cooperation”.

“China strongly opposes and is deeply dissatisfied [with the US decision],” the ministry said in a statement released on its website.

“We hope the US will take an objective and rational approach to its domestic issues, such as fentanyl, rather than resorting to tariff threats against other countries.”

02:46

China hits back at US tariffs with vow to take case to the WTO

The ministry’s statement followed US President Donald Trump’s decision on Saturday to sign an executive order imposing a 10 per cent tariff on Chinese imports in response to what he said was the failure of Chinese officials to stem the flow of the precursor chemicals for fentanyl into the United States.