Beijing (AFP)
China announced Monday it filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO), in response to the entry into force on Sunday in the United States of new tariffs on Chinese products representing billions of dollars annual imports.
"These American taxes seriously violate the consensus reached by the heads of state of our two countries in Osaka" (Japan) at the end of June during the G20 summit, marked by the announcement of a truce in the bilateral trade war, a said the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
"China is very dissatisfied and staunchly opposed to this and, in accordance with WTO rules, will firmly protect its rights and legitimate interests," he said in a statement posted on his website.
The Ministry clarified that the complaint was filed in the context of the dispute settlement body of the WTO, the DSB.
China and the United States have been engaged for more than a year in a trade showdown that has resulted in the reciprocal imposition of punitive tariffs on more than $ 360 billion in annual trade.
At the Osaka G20 summit in late June, US presidents Donald Trump and Chinese Xi Jinping agreed to restart trade negotiations.
But the truce has fizzled. On August 1, Donald Trump announces additional tariffs of 10% on the 300 billion dollars of Chinese imports hitherto spared, as of September 1st.
On August 23, Beijing announced tariff retaliation for $ 75 billion worth of US goods and cars.
In response, the US administration decides to increase to 15% the additional customs tariffs announced on August 1st.
© 2019 AFP