Beijing blames US for raising trade tensions

Beijing cited the addition of Chinese companies to a US trade blacklist and Washington's imposition of port fees on Chinese vessels as examples.

"These actions have severely harmed China's interests and undermined the atmosphere for bilateral economic and trade talks. China firmly opposes them," the ministry said.

Beijing stopped short of explicitly connecting these US actions to its curbs on exports of critical minerals, saying its curbs were motivated by concern about these metals' military applications at a time of "frequent military conflict".