A ro-ro ship carrying electric vehicles docks at Taicang Port in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, on July 9, 2024. Photo: VCG

The imposition of tariffs by certain countries targeting China's "new three" items - electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products - is unfair, illegal and an unreasonable protectionist practice, Lü Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), said at a press conference on Monday.

The remarks were made in response to a question from a Bloomberg reporter regarding the tariffs imposed by some foreign countries on China's "new three" items, citing additional tariffs by Turkey on the corresponding Chinese products in June.

China released its trade figures for the first three quarters of 2024 on Monday, with the overall trend continuously positive, despite internal and external challenges. The "new three" items, the pillar of China's exports, remained robust.

China's exports of the "new three" items reached 757.83 billion yuan ($107.03 billion) in the first three quarters, accounting for 4.1 percent of the total value of exports. These items were welcomed by more than 200 countries and regions, Lü said on Monday.

China's "new three" items not only enrich global supply and alleviate inflationary pressure but also make a significant contribution to global efforts to combat climate change and promote the green transformation, Lü said.

There are certain countries imposing additional tariffs on corresponding products from China, which is an unfair, illegal and unreasonable protectionist practice, and this move will ultimately affect global efforts toward the green transformation, the Chinese customs official warned.

Lü called on the corresponding countries to stop these unjust actions and pursue their legitimate interests in common development, and jointly respond to the global challenge of climate change.

"Despite some external disruptions, including unfair protectionist measures from certain countries, there remains significant global demand for corresponding Chinese products. This demand reflects a win-win situation for the development of all countries as they pursue a green transformation for sustainable development," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Monday.

"The growth of exports of the 'new three' items also reflects a market-driven outcome, where the market ultimately decides and selects the most suitable products, and China is well positioned to provide these products due to its cost-effectiveness and high quality," Zhou said.

China has accelerated the development of the new quality productive forces, with the trend of high-end, intelligent and green manufacturing becoming very conspicuous, Wang Lingjun, deputy head of the GAC, said at Monday's press conference.

For example, China's new-energy industry has effectively aligned with the global green development trend. In the first three quarters, exports of wind turbines increased by 73.9 percent and those of electric vehicles rose by 22 percent, showing a strong growth trend, according to the GAC data.