Beijing has criticized Washington's decision to levy countervailing duty on coated paper exported from China, saying it not only reverses US domestic policies but also hurts Chinese enterprises.

The US government announced on Friday that it would set a preliminary duty of 10.9 to 20.35 percent on the coated paper imported from China because Chinese exporters were benefiting from "unfair" government subsidies.

Though China's coated paper exports to the US accounts for less than 1 percent of the total bilateral trade, the duty could be followed by similar action on Chinese steel, textiles and other products because US industries claim cheap imports from the country have hurt American companies.