US President Donald Trump has signed into law the new US defense bill that, among other provisions, sets a priority of a "long-term strategic competition with China" .

Beijing has expressed its protest over Washington adopting 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes some 'negative' content on China, the country's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

THe 2019 National Defense Authorization Act  calls for an evaluation of propaganda, economic tools, hacking and "defense installations," that Beijing allegedly uses against Washington.

The NDAA strengthens the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews proposals to determine if they threaten national security. That measure was seen as targeting China, Reuters reported.

Moreover, the bill sets "long-term strategic competition with China" as the United States' "principal priority." 

"The US side should objectively and fairly treat Chinese investors, and avoid CFIUS becoming an obstacle to investment cooperation between Chinese and US firms," Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a separate statement as quoted by Reuters.

The new US defense bill signed into law by US President Donald Trump on Monday also contains a section on cooperation with Taiwan. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and refuses to support diplomatic relations with any country that officially recognizes Taiwan.

China's protest against the new US defense bill comes as the world's major economies engage in "trade war", imposing tariffs on each other's goods.

Last week, the US has finalized new tariffs on $16 billion worth of products imported from China, the Office of the US Trade Representative said.

China responded earlier to a proposed tariff increase from 10 to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese products with a threat to impose duties of up to 25 percent on US imports worth $60 billion, Sputnik reported.

The Chinese Finance Ministry accused earlier the US actions of “disrupting the global supply chain and free trade system” and causing “serious damage” to the interests of China and its citizens, adding that such actions could also have negative impact on global economic growth.

The trade dispute between Beijing and Washington comes amid the growing discontent frequently expressed by President Trump over the US trade deficit with China, which reached $320 billion last year. Trump also accused China of unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft, currency manipulation and providing state aid to Chinese firms.

Commenting on US threats, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told journalists on Friday that “the Chinese side calls on the US to return to rationality, and eradicate its mistakes to create the right conditions for resolving the problem.”

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