China's Ministry of Commerce vowed on Thursday it will respond to recent investigations and restrictions by the United States and India that put Chinese companies under new trade pressure.

Last week, the United States launched an investigation into Luxshare Precision, a Chinese electrical components manufacturer that supplies Apple. The case was opened up under Section 337, which is usually related to intellectual property infringement. 

The investigation came one day after Joe Biden took office as the U.S. president, though the complaint was filed weeks before. The Chinese government has expressed its support to the firms being targeted and is helping them deal with the probe.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the protection of intellectual property rights, and always advocates companies to respect intellectual property. At the same time, we oppose any abuses of intellectual property rights in the name of practicing protectionism," said Gao Feng, the ministry's spokesperson. 

China hopes the U.S. International Trade Commission would be able to conduct an objective, fair and impartial investigation in accordance with the law, and thus properly resolve intellectual property disputes between enterprises, he said.

The U.S. Commerce Department is also accusing Chinese exporters of dumping plywood and millwork products. The Chinese ministry firmly opposed the probes on Thursday, saying that the U.S. investigation ignores the facts and uses the surrogate country approach, presuming unfavorable facts. 

"It seriously harms the interests of Chinese companies, as well as downstream industries and consumers in the U.S.," said Gao, adding that Beijing will pay close attention to the case and encourage Chinese companies to safeguard their legal rights.

The  spokesperson also condemned restrictions on Chinese companies by India, after it banned over 50 Chinese apps, including popular short-video platform TikTok. 

Beijing said it has always urged Chinese companies operating overseas to abide by international rules and respect local order and customs, and it also expressed determination to manage trade frictions with its partners.

The spokesperson said China hopes that other countries can promote mutual trust and bring bilateral economic and trade cooperation back on track. That includes not just India but also Australia, who expects China to lift its ban on imported coal.