China urges the United States to correct its erroneous approach and return to the correct path of resolving issues through dialogue and consultation, said a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce on Friday.

The spokesperson made the remarks when asked to comment on the fact that US Trade Representative's Office recently announced that it would launch a 301 investigation into 16 economies, including China, citing "overcapacity."

Noting China has taken note of the US decision, the spokesperson said the 301 investigation is a typical unilateral action that severely disrupts the international economic and trade order.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) expert panel has long ruled that the tariffs imposed based on the 301 investigation violate WTO rules, the spokesperson said.

Regarding the US argument about "overcapacity," the spokesperson said China has reiterated its position multiple times.

The world economy has long been an integrated whole, with both production and consumption being global in nature, requiring global supply-demand matching and adjustment, said the spokesperson, adding that if each country's production could only meet its domestic demand, there would be no cross-border trade.

The US cannot narrowly define production capacity that exceeds domestic demand as "overcapacity" and label it as such, added the spokesperson, and that the US has no right to unilaterally determine whether its trading partners have "overcapacity" through a 301 investigation and impose unilateral restrictive measures

The spokesperson went further, saying that China has also noted that the US has launched another 301 investigation into 60 economies, including China, citing the failure to ban the import of "forced labor" products.

China is currently analyzing and assessing the situation and will closely monitor the developments and reserve the right to take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, said the spokesperson.