Beijing, China

As the US imposed fresh tariffs on Chinese goods worth $16 billion, President Xi government said it "firmly opposes the tariffs and has no choice but to continue to make the necessary counter-attacks".

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Also Read: Fresh US tariffs on Chinese goods take effect China vows to 'counter-attack'

The new tariffs on Chinese goods enterning US shores kicked in today at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT). The Trump administration targetted 279 product categories including Chinese semiconductors, plastics, chemicals and railway equipment in the new round of tarrifs after hitting China with $34 billion in goods on July 6th.

China implemented 25 per cent tariffs on a list of $16 billion worth of imports from the United States starting at 12:01 local time Thursday.  

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China's commerce ministry said the US tariffs were "clearly suspected of violating WTO rules" and added that it would file a lawsuit against the US under WTO's dispute resolution mechanism.

Beijing hit back with tariffs aimed at 333 categories targeting Harley-Davidson motorcycles, dump trucks, asphalt, coal, copper scrap, fuel, steel products, buses and medical equipment among several other hundred goods.

China's Commerce Ministry said Washington was "remaining obstinate" by implementing the latest tariffs as it decided to target US goods in retaliation.

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The tit-for-tat response by China came even as US and Chinese officials are set to meet in Washinton on Thursday to address the spiralling trade war. Trump had said on Thursday that he didn't "anticipate much" from talks with Chinese commerce vice minister Wang Shouwen.

President Donald Trump has threatened to put additional tariffs on Chinese goods of the more than $500 billion unless Beijing changes its trade policy and buys more US goods.

"We are a country that has been ripped off by anybody and we are not going to be ripped off anymore," President Trump had said at a campaign rally in Virginia on Tuesday.

"It has to be a two-way street. We only have one-way streets not only with China but everybody," the US president warned.