China has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s dispute settlement mechanism against the U.S. decision to impose an additional 10-percent tariff on goods from China, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on February 4.

The move is to safeguard China's legitimate rights and interests, an MOC spokesperson said in response to media inquiries.

The U.S. imposition of additional tariffs on Chinese products has seriously violated the WTO rules, and this egregious act is typical of unilateralism and trade protectionism, said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson said the U.S. move severely undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system, erodes the foundation of China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation, and disrupts the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

The United States has repeatedly put unilateralism above multilateralism, incurring strong condemnation from the majority of the WTO members. "China firmly opposes the U.S. actions, and urges the U.S. side to immediately rectify its wrongdoings," the spokesperson said.

As a staunch supporter and significant contributor to the multilateral trading system, China stands ready to work with other WTO members to address the challenges posed by unilateralism and trade protectionism to the multilateral trading system, and to safeguard the orderly and stable development of international trade, added the spokesperson.