A U.S. merchant inquires about prices from a clothing manufacturer based in east China's Jiangsu Province, at the 2018 Chinese Textile and Apparel Trade Show held in New York City in July (XINHUA)

China announced on September 18 it will impose additional tariffs on U.S. products worth $60 billion starting from September 24 in response to the newly announced U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council unveiled lists of 3,571 items of U.S. products to be subject to additional tariffs of 10 percent, and lists of another 1,636 items to be subject to additional tariffs of 5 percent.

The new tax rates will take effect at 12:01 p.m. Beijing time on September 24, said the commission.

The willful decision of the U.S. Government has led to the escalation of trade friction between the two countries. China was forced to take countermeasures in defense of free trade and multilateral system, and its own legitimate rights and interests, the commission said in a statement.

If the U.S. side continues to do so, China will respond in kind, it added.

China has no choice but to respond to the U.S. unilateralism and trade protectionism with tariffs in order to stem the friction from escalating.

China hopes the U.S. side will stop frictions from expanding and jointly safeguard bilateral trade ties with China through equal, honest and pragmatic dialogue, on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefits, said the statement.

That will also serve to defend the free trade principle and multilateral trade system, and global economic prosperity and development, it said.

The United States, disregarding overwhelming international and domestic opposition, announced to impose additional 10-percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese products from September 24 and that it will take other escalating tariff measures.

(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2018)