Taipei/London CNN  —  Beijing says it will take “all necessary actions” to protect its rights as US President Joe Biden announced huge tariffs on imports of electric vehicles and other goods from China. “China opposes the unilateral imposition of tariffs which violate (World Trade Organization) rules, and will take all necessary actions to protect its legitimate rights,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Tuesday in a regular press briefing shortly before the widely anticipated White House announcement. In addition to Chinese EVs, the increase in US tariffs will apply to imports of steel and aluminum, legacy semiconductors, battery components, critical minerals, solar cells, cranes and medical products. EVs imported from China will see their tariffs more than quadrupled from 27.5% to 100% — a policy lever meant to challenge Beijing’s practice of encouraging aggressively low pricing by domestic EV manufacturers while levying a 40% tariff on US car imports. The new tariff for solar components will be 50%, while the remainder of the targeted imports will attract tariffs of 25%. They will be implemented over the next two years. China’s global trade surplus in goods has soared in recent years and is now approaching $1 trillion, stoking tensions with the United States and Europe. The Biden administration and European Union officials fear Beijing is trying to tackle a subsidy-fueled overcapacity problem in its decelerating economy by dumping excess products on global markets. Leaders from the Group of Seven developed economies will discuss how to protect their industries at a summit next month. Responding to a separate question during the briefing, Wang added that the growth of China’s new energy industry — including EVs, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products — is built on “continued technical innovation, complete industrial and supply chains, and full-on market competition.” “Our leading edge is a result of comparative advantage and the rule of markets combined, not (of) subsidies,” Wang said.