New Delhi, Feb. 2 -- The Donald Trump administration has imposed a 10% tariff on imports from China, eliciting a strong response from Beijing.

The tariff regime does not come as a surprise as Trump had vowed to cut imports to encourage manufacturing in the United States.

On Saturday, Trump ordered 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and 10 percent on goods from China, citing a "major threat" by "illegal aliens".

China condemned Trump's move, seen as a declaration of trade war by the affected countries.

The Chinese foreign ministry, in an official statement, said that the US tariff violates global trade rules and could disrupt cooperation on drug control efforts between the two countries.

Beijing cautioned that these me...