Beijing has criticized new US measures involving additional tariffs on Chinese goods and possible restrictions on Chinese companies operating in the artificial intelligence sector.
On July 27, China’s Ministry of Commerce accused Washington of pursuing “hegemonism in the field of artificial intelligence”. The statement followed warnings from senior US officials that Chinese AI companies could face investigations, sanctions and trade restrictions if the unlawful use of American technology is confirmed.
The dispute concerns, among other companies, Beijing-based Moonshot AI and its Kimi K3 model. US officials have accused Chinese developers of extracting data from American artificial intelligence models. China’s Ministry of Commerce said the allegations lacked factual and legal grounds and stated that Beijing would take “all necessary measures” to protect the lawful rights and interests of its companies.
On the same day, Beijing also criticized new US tariffs imposed on 60 trading partners. According to Washington, the decision targets countries that do not take sufficient measures to prevent imports of goods produced through forced labour. The United States imposed tariffs of either 10% or 12.5% on goods from various countries, while Chinese products were subjected to a 12.5% rate. The measures followed investigations conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
China’s Ministry of Commerce described the decision as unilateral protectionism and called on the United States to remove the tariffs. Beijing said China has appropriate legal mechanisms in place to combat forced labour and argued that Washington’s allegations are being used to justify the introduction of new trade barriers.
