China vows to act on US call for higher tariffs on steel products

China slammed a US plan to impose new restrictions on its steel and aluminum products, saying it will take action to protect the country's interests.

The US is "arbitrarily slapping tariffs on Chinese products," politicizing economic issues and undermining the security of the global supply chain, the ministry of commerce said in the statement on Thursday. China urges US to stop increasing tariffs and pledges to take all necessary measures to defend its rights, it said.The new tariffs US President Joe Biden is pushing would impose 25% levies on certain Chinese steel and aluminum products.

'China Xenophobic'

Biden, meanwhile, called China "xenophobic" while highlighting its economic woes. "They've got a population that is more people in retirement than working. They're not importing anything. They're xenophobic - nobody else coming in. They've got real problems," Biden told steel workers in Pittsburgh late on Wednesday.