China on Thursday said it would continue to “counter-attack” as Washington imposed new tariffs on $16 billion worth of its goods, further inflaming trade tensions.

The US moves were “clearly suspected” of violating World Trade Organization rules, the commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that it would file a lawsuit against them under the WTO’s dispute resolution mechanism.

Beijing had earlier said that it would impose retaliatory tariffs on $16 billion of US goods at the exact same time as the US levies came into force.

Source: AFP