MOFCOM: China must retaliate if US implements new tariffs

China's Commerce Ministry (MOFCOM) said on Thursday that it will take necessary counter measures if the US insists on implementing a new set of 25 percent tariffs on 200 billion US dollars' worth of Chinese import.

"The US is seriously violating the WTO rules," ministry spokesman Gao Feng said at a press conference. "It not only harms the interest of business and customers from both countries, but also undermines the international value chain and industry chain."

Gao said dialogue and consultation with "equality and integrity" are the right choices to resolve the China-US trade friction, adding that China has the "confidence and ability" to maintain the country's stable economic development.

He also said that, "Any pressure measures [from the US] are unreasonable and won't work."