BEIJING – China will lift the additional tariffs on products imported from the United States to 84 percent from Thursday, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced on Wednesday.

The announcement follows the US decision to raise the "reciprocal tariffs" on Chinese imports from 34 percent to 84 percent, a move that is "going further down the wrong path and seriously infringes on China's legitimate rights and interests", according to the commission.

The additional tariffs will come into effect at 12:01 pm on Thursday, it added.

The US tariff move is a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying, which severely damages the rules-based multilateral trading system and significantly disrupts the stability of the global economic order, the commission said.

China urges the US side to immediately correct its wrongdoings, remove all unilateral tariff measures on China, and properly resolve disputes through equal-footed dialogue on the basis of mutual respect, it said.

China has also added 12 US companies, including American Photonics and Novotech, Inc, to its export control list and another six US firms, including Shield AI, Inc and Sierra Nevada Corporation, to its unreliable entity list, the country's commerce ministry announced the same day.

READ MORE: White paper: China, US can resolve trade differences through talks

The 12 companies have engaged in activities that may endanger China's national security and interests, a commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

Effective from 12:01 pm on Thursday, the export of dual-use items to the 12 companies will be prohibited, while any ongoing related export activities must stop immediately. In special cases where export is deemed necessary, the exporter must apply for approval, the ministry added.

Meanwhile, six US companies added to the unreliable entity list have in recent years either participated in arms sales to Taiwan or engaged in so-called military technology cooperation with Taiwan, disregarding strong opposition from China and seriously undermining China's national sovereignty, security, and development interests, said the spokesperson.

China holds the six firms accountable for their unlawful activities, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, according to the statement.

China always handles issues related to its unreliable entity list prudently, and only targets the very few foreign entities that undermine China's national security, added the spokesperson.

"There is nothing to worry about for honest and law-abiding foreign entities.”

The Chinese government, as always, welcomes companies from all countries to invest and operate in China, and is committed to providing a stable, fair, and predictable business environment for foreign enterprises that operate in accordance with laws and regulations, said the spokesperson.

Beijing also filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement mechanism following the latest US tariff hikes.

The US additional tariff measures seriously violate WTO rules, a ministry spokesperson said, responding to the US announcement of imposing 50 percent additional tariffs on Chinese goods following previous so-called "reciprocal tariffs".

The imposition of additional 50 percent tariffs is a grave mistake on top of an existing one and highlights the unilateral bullying nature of the US actions, the spokesperson said.

The announcements came hours after the world’s second-biggest economy vowed to take countermeasures with "firm will" and "abundant means", while urging dialogue to resolve concerns and stabilize bilateral ties.

"I want to emphasize that there is no winner in a trade war, and China does not want a trade war, but the Chinese government will by no means sit by when the legitimate rights and interests of its people are being hurt and deprived," said an official with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

The official made the remarks when responding to media questions regarding a white paper released Wednesday by the State Council Information Office on China's position on some issues concerning China-US economic and trade relations.

Over the 46 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, bilateral trade and economic ties have developed rapidly. The trade between the two countries has surged from less than $2.5 billion in 1979 to nearly $688.3 billion in 2024, according to the white paper.

FULL TEXT: China’s Position on Some Issues Concerning China-US Economic and Trade Relations

Noting that the successes of China and the US are opportunities rather than threats for each other, the official said that Beijing hopes Washington will immediately remove its unilateral imposition of tariffs, and work with China to strengthen dialogue, manage differences, and promote cooperation.

China is willing to communicate with the US side on key bilateral economic and trade issues, address their respective concerns through dialogue and consultations on an equal footing, and jointly advance the steady, healthy and sustainable development of China-US economic and trade relations, the official noted.

The official said that it is a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying for the US to take tariffs as a weapon of exerting maximum pressure and pursuing self-interest.

Under the guise of pursuing "reciprocity" and "fairness," the US is engaging in zero-sum games and, in essence, seeking "America First" and "American exceptionalism", the official said.

The US side is exploiting tariffs to subvert the existing international economic and trade order, prioritizing US interests above the global common good, and sacrificing the legitimate interests of countries worldwide to serve its own hegemonic agenda, according to the official.

Noting that the US is also deliberately severing the well-established global industrial and supply chains and breaking the market-oriented free trade rules, the official said these practices seriously interrupt the economic development of countries around the globe and affect the long-term stable growth of the world economy.

"It is well proven by history and facts that by raising tariffs, the US will not solve its own problems," the official said, noting that instead, it would lead to drastic fluctuations in the financial market, drive up the US inflationary pressure, weaken its industrial foundation, and increase its risk of economic recession, and ultimately, backfire.

As the world's largest developing and developed countries respectively, China and the US are highly complementary in the fields of natural endowment, human resources, market, capital, and technology, among others, and can achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, the official said.

Speaking at a news briefing the same day, a foreign ministry spokesperson said the US is still imposing tariffs and exerting maximum pressure on China, to which China is firmly opposed.

China will never accept such bullying, Lin Jian added while commenting on US announcement on imposing a 104-percent tariff on Chinese goods.

The Chinese people's legitimate right to development cannot be deprived and China's sovereignty, security and development interests are inviolable, he said, adding that Beijing will continue to take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

ALSO READ: Chinese foreign ministry: Vance’s remarks on China surprising, lamentable

"If the US really seeks to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it should demonstrate an attitude of equality, respect and reciprocity," said Lin.

"If the United States is bent on waging a tariff war or trade war, China is ready to fight till the end," he added.

The Chinese government issued the white paper on Wednesday to clarify the facts surrounding China-US economic and trade relations, systematically outline its policy stance on related issues, expose the harm caused by unilateralism and protectionism to bilateral economic and trade ties, and demonstrate its firm resolve to safeguard national interests and uphold the multilateral trading system, the official added.

The Chinese side has always maintained that China-US economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature, the white paper noted.

As two major countries at different stages of development with distinct economic systems, it is natural for China and the US to have differences and frictions in their economic and trade cooperation, according to the document.

READ MORE: Trump tariffs kick in, triggering more market carnage

In recent years, the US trade deficit has increased globally, while the proportion attributable to China has decreased. Facts show that raising tariffs on China has not succeeded in narrowing the US trade deficit. Instead, it has raised import costs and further widened the deficit, the official said.

The trade balance in goods between China and the US is both an inevitable result of the structural issues in the US economy and a consequence of the comparative advantages and international division of labor between the two countries, the official added.

The commerce ministry official said that China will continue to tap the potential in import and transform its vast market into a global marketplace shared by the world, thereby injecting new momentum into global economic growth.