China has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. tariffs hike to the dispute resolution mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to safeguard its rights and interests, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday night to impose a 10-percent tariff on Chinese imports into the country on top of existing tariffs.
According to a statement read by a spokesperson with the MOC, the U.S. tariffs hike on Chinese exports severely violate WTO rules and represent a severe and malicious act of unilateralism and trade protectionism.
Th U.S. acts significantly undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system, disrupt the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States, and disturb the stability of global industrial and supply chains, said the spokesperson.
The United States has repeatedly prioritized unilateralism over multilateralism, drawing strong condemnation from a wide range of WTO members. China firmly opposes the U.S. move and urges the U.S.side to immediately correct its erroneous practices.
China is a steadfast supporter and important contributor to the multilateral trading system, the spokesperson noted, saying that the country is willing to work with other WTO members to jointly address the challenges posed by unilateralism and trade protectionism, and to uphold the orderly and stable development of international trade.
China has filed complaint with WTO against US tariff hike: commerce ministry
China has filed complaint with WTO against US tariff hike: commerce ministry
Flowers with novel appearances drew strong interest from visitors at this year's Hortiflorexpo IPM Beijing, which ran from April 10 to 12.
With more Chinese consumers seeking products that offer emotional value, expo visitors were noticing not only traditional, beautiful flowers, but also those newer, more distinctive varieties.
Among the many blooms on display, those featuring widely recognized icons stood out as especially eye catching.
"This is the Psychopsis papilio, also known as 'Monkey King'. You can see that its flower has three tendrils, which vividly resembles the pheasant feathers worn by Monkey King," said Zha Niyi, an exhibitor, introducing the flower commonly known as the butterfly orchid.
Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, is from a classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West, written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Monkey King has stood as one of the most iconic symbols of Chinese culture, embodying generations of Chinese people's imagination of a hero.
This growing consumer interest is also evident in the flowers' sales volumes. In 2025, China’s fresh-cut flower exports surged by over 40 percent, surpassing 200 million U.S. dollars for the first time. Over the past five years, the country's total flower exports have exceeded two billion U.S. dollars.
"This demonstrates that China's flower industry has a solid export base and strong production capacity with the approach of high-quality development," said Zhang Li, deputy director of the Market Circulation Branch of the China Flower Association.
As Chinese consumers become more willing to pay for experiences that generate positive emotions, visitors at the exhibition were increasingly drawn to flowers with cute names and auspicious meanings.
Consumers' growing desire for emotional fulfillment is also driving the wider development in the flower-consumption market. "A single flower can give rise to an entire industry and a whole sector," said Wang Caiyun, president of the Osmanthus Branch of the China Flower Association.
China has grown into the world's largest flower producer, a major consumer, and a leading trading country. Its flower economy now delivers annual output worth more than 520 billion yuan (about 76.16 billion U.S. dollars), driving employment and income growth for more than 220,000 business entities.
Novel flowers catch eyes at Hortiflorexpo IPM Beijing
