China urges U.S. to immediately repeal Section 232 tariffs on drones, parts

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Commerce on Thursday urged the United States to immediately repeal its Section 232 tariff measures on drones and drone parts, saying the measures severely harm the interests of Chinese enterprises and disrupt cooperation in global drone industrial and supply chains.

China has consistently maintained that the U.S. Section 232 measures constitute unilateralism and protectionism carried out under the pretext of "national security," said commerce ministry spokesperson He Yadong at a regular media conference in response to a question concerning the U.S. decision to impose the tariffs.

In fact, Chinese drones exported to the United States are mainly used in civilian applications, including agriculture, equipment inspection, and film and television entertainment, He said.

He said the U.S. Section 232 measures overstretch the concept of national security, impose differentiated tariff rates on trading partners, and discriminate against relevant Chinese products.

The measures further undermine a market environment featuring fair competition, the spokesperson said. "China firmly opposes this."