China has hit back at the United States with an additional tariff of 34 percent on all US imports starting Thursday.

The finance ministry said the figure matches the amount that the administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed on Chinese goods. It strongly urged the US to withdraw "unilateral" tariffs and resolve differences through talks.

The commerce ministry said China has also filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization. It argues that the so-called reciprocal tariffs are a grave violation of WTO rules. It also announced tougher regulations on the export of rare earth minerals.

Trump hit back on social media, saying "China played it wrong, they panicked."

Meanwhile, discrepancies within the Trump administration on how to decide the tariffs have come to light. The White House had said that it made the calculations by looking at each country's tariff and non-tariff barriers, as well as the trade deficit.

However, a document released by the Office of the US Trade Representative contradicts that explanation. It shows the rate was calculated based solely on the trade deficit and the value of imports.