China on Monday voiced firm opposition to the United States’ decision to launch a Section 301 investigation into 60 economies, including China, saying that it seriously disrupts the international economic and trade order.

The investigation, announced by the United States on March 12 local time in relation to what it claimed to be failures to prohibit the importation of goods produced via “forced labour,” followed another Section 301 probe initiated just a day earlier over the so-called “overcapacity” issue, the Ministry of Commerce noted in a statement.

The investigations will determine whether acts, policies, and practices of each of these economies related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labour are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce.

The statement said China has already lodged representations with the US side amid ongoing bilateral economic and trade consultations in Paris, France.

“We urge the US side to immediately correct its wrongdoings, meet China halfway, adhere to the principle of mutual respect and equal consultation, and find a solution to the problem through dialogue and consultation,” the statement said.

A spokesperson from the ministry refuted the US accusations, pointing out that the US side has long manipulated the “forced labour” issue and imposed a series of trade restrictions on China based on fabricated allegations.

China, a founding member of the International Labour Organization, has ratified 28 international labour conventions and established a comprehensive system of labour laws and regulations to prevent and combat forced labour, the spokesperson said.

The United States has not yet ratified the Forced Labour Convention, 1930, thus rejecting binding international rules, while long manipulating the issue of “forced labour”, the spokesperson noted.

The latest US move to launch Section 301 investigations against China and other economies in an attempt to erect trade barriers is unilateral, arbitrary and discriminatory in nature, and is a typical act of protectionism, the spokesperson said.

“This is a mistake on top of another, which severely undermines the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains and seriously disrupts the international economic and trade order,” the spokesperson added. China will closely follow the investigation’s progress and reserves the right to take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, the spokesperson said.

• A Tell Media / Xinhua report