Long Beach port in California, the USA (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

In a Fact Sheet issued by the White House on Tuesday, the US administration said it will increase the tariff rate on lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles from 7.5% to 25% in 2024. Tariffs on natural graphite and permanent magnets will go from 0 to 25% in 2026 and tariffs for certain critical minerals will go from zero to 25% in 2024.

Biden's chief of trade policy, Katherine Tai, said tariffs imposed during the Trump administration on a wide range of goods were kept.

The move is part of a raft of measures that the White House said would protect American workers and businesses from China’s unfair trade practices.

Beijing’s foreign ministry said it “opposes unilateral tariff hikes in violation of WTO rules” when asked about the new tariffs.

China “will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests”, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.