China has condemned the decision of the United States (US) to impose new tariffs on China and 59 other countries over concerns about forced labor.
Beijing described the action as a unilateral move and warned that trade wars do not benefit any party.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that China opposes all forms of unilaterally imposed tariffs. He stressed that tariff wars and trade wars will only harm the global economy and trade relations between countries.
Under the new policy, the US imposes tariffs between 10% and 12.5%, with China being charged the highest rate of 12.5%. The measure replaces the previous global tariff that expired after being partially overturned by the US Supreme Court earlier this year.
According to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the new tariffs are aimed at enforcing a ban on imports linked to forced labor.
Countries that have implemented similar restrictions, such as Canada, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom, are subject to lower tariffs of 10%, while India and Japan are also subject to 12.5% tariffs.
US-China trade relations have eased after President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping agreed to a trade truce. However, the latest tariffs are seen as potentially reigniting trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.
