China announced on Wednesday that it will take "all necessary measures" to protect its interests in response to the US's 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. "The US measures seriously violate World Trade Organization rules and seriously undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said when asked about the tariffs at a daily press conference, according to Agence France-Presse. US President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports took effect at 04:01 GMT on Wednesday, taking the United States a step closer to a trade war with its major partners. On February 10, Trump signed two executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from all countries, effective March 12, "without exceptions or exemptions."
