BEIJING: China slapped retaliatory tariffs on US$16 billion in US goods on Thursday as Washington imposed similar levies, saying Beijing had to “counter-attack” as trade tensions persist.
The US moves were “clearly suspected” of violating World Trade Organisation rules, the commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that it would file a lawsuit against them under the WTO’s dispute resolution mechanism.
The official Xinhua news agency, citing the government tariff commission, said later that Beijing had imposed tit-for-tat tariffs at the same time as the US duties came into force.