The Chinese Embassy in the United States has criticised proposals by US President Joe Biden to impose higher tariffs on Chinese metal products.

A spokesman for the embassy, Liu Pengyu, said "the US is making the same mistake again and again" by seeking higher tariffs.

In a statement, he also dismissed levies already in place as “the embodiment of unilateralism and protectionism of the US”.

Biden on Wednesday called for sharply higher American tariffs on Chinese metal products as part of a package of policies aimed at pleasing steelworkers in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

As he campaigned for re-election in the "Steel City" of Pittsburgh, Biden aides said he was proposing raising to 25 percent the tariffs imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump on certain Chinese steel and aluminium products.

"China's steel companies don't need to worry about making a profit," Biden said. "They're not competing, they're cheating and we've seen the damage here in America."

Washington is also pressuring neighbouring Mexico to prohibit China from selling its metal products to the US indirectly from there.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is launching an investigation into Chinese trade practices across the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors, which could lead to more tariffs.

In response, the Commerce Ministry said the “US petition is full of false accusations.”

It ”misinterprets normal trade and investment activities as damaging to US national security and corporate interests," the ministry said in a statement. (Agencies)