China says will act to safeguard its interests from US tariffs

Beijing: China will take measures to safeguard its interests if US trade measures hurt Chinese interests, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said in a statement on Friday.

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminium to protect US-based producers.

"China hopes the US respects the multilateral trade system and maintains a normal trading order with the rest of the world," Wang Hejun, head of MOFCOM`s Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau, said in the statement.

"Most of the steel and aluminium products that the US imports are middle or low-end products and that has not damaged the national security of the country," Wang said.