BEIJING - A Chinese commerce official made remarks Wednesday in response to the United States' WTO challenge to China's countermeasures on the US Section 232 investigation over steel and aluminum imports.

The Chinese measures are legitimate and in line with multilateral trade rules, an official of the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement, asking the United States to end its restrictions that go against the WTO rules.

"In the name of 'national security,' the Section 232 investigation has in fact implemented trade protectionism, which has become a consensus of many WTO members," the official said.

The official called the US practice "a serious damage to multilateral trade rules," and said the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, including China, have been undermined.

China has submitted a request to the United States for consultations on compensation in accordance with the WTO rules, but the latter refused to respond, according to the official.

Given the situation, the official said, China has to take actions in accordance with its trade law to offset the losses caused by the US trade measures and safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

"China's measures are necessary for safeguarding national interests and the multilateral trading system, and are legitimate and in line with multilateral trade rules," the official said.

If the United States still has the sincerity to comply with the multilateral trade rules, the official noted, it should terminate the restrictions that violate the WTO rules as soon as possible and thoroughly resolve disputes with WTO members.

"China is willing to work with relevant members to jointly safeguard the authority of the multilateral trading system," the official added.