China counterpunches against US in growing trade war

China today struck back against US President Donald Trump's trade offensive, intensifying the expanding and unpredictable dispute between the world's two largest economies.

China announced it was expanding its existing complaint against the United States at the World Trade Organisation, hours after the countries slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars of cross-border trade.

Beijing called the new stage of the confrontation -- which began when Washington pulled the trigger on 25 percent duties on USD 34 billion annual imports of Chinese machinery, electronics and other goods -- "the largest trade war in economic history."
China's Premier Li Keqiang said on a visit to Sofia that "A trade war benefits no-one because it hurts free trade and the multilateral process." - Russia joins the fray -