China pushed back after the U.S. administration decided to impose additional tariffs on 60 countries over "forced labor," calling it "typical unilateralism and protectionism."
China's Ministry of Commerce stressed in a statement issued under the name of its Spokesperson on the 27th that "China has consistently opposed forced labor and has established relevant laws and systems to strictly prevent and crack down on forced labor."
It added, "The United States has long politicized the issue of forced labor," noting that "imposing unilateral tariffs is a typical act of unilateralism and protectionism."
On the 23rd (local time), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced a measure to impose so-called "forced labor tariffs" of 10%–12.5% on 60 economic jurisdictions, including Korea and China.
Section 301 of the Trade Act, which allows the U.S. administration to respond when unfair or unreasonable policies or practices of foreign governments burden or restrict U.S. commerce, served as the basis, and an additional 12.5% tariff was applied to Chinese products.
China's Ministry of Commerce said, "China firmly opposes this," and argued, "In U.S.-China economic and trade negotiations, a clear promise was made that substitute tariffs on Chinese products would not exceed 20%."
It warned, "China's so-called 'fentanyl tariff' and reciprocal tariff countermeasures remain in effect," adding, "We are watching and assessing the United States' follow-up actions and reserve the right to take all necessary measures."
China's Ministry of Commerce also criticized recent remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said he examined Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) models and would take action if evidence of IP theft is found.
China's Ministry of Commerce said this was "typical AI hegemonism that politicizes and weaponizes science and technology and economic and trade issues," and emphasized, "We will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard our legitimate rights and interests."