China's Ministry of Commerce on February 27 urged the United States to withdraw its Section 232 probe into copper imports as soon as possible, stating that its claim that China uses subsidies and excess capacity to undermine competition is entirely unfounded. He Yadong, spokesperson for the ministry, said at the presser that the U.S. investigation is "a unilateral and protectionist act carried out under the pretext of 'national security'," adding that the act will further undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system and disrupt the stability of global production and supply chains.