China firmly opposes the United States' tariff measures based on the so-called Section 232 investigation, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

He Yadong, the spokesperson, said at a regular press conference that the Section 232 tariff measures have long been adjudicated by the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system as in violation of the rule-based multilateral trading system.

By imposing tariffs based on the so-called Section 232 auto investigation report from six years ago, the United States has once again used national security as a pretext for trade protectionism. This action has drawn strong dissatisfaction from many trading partners, according to the spokesperson.

The global automotive industry heavily relies on cross-border production and supply chains, the spokesperson said, adding that artificially severing industrial and supply chain connections between the United States and other regions can neither protect U.S. national security nor benefit its domestic industries. Instead, they only expose the unilateralist, protectionist, and bullyism nature of the U.S. policies.