China on Thursday slammed U.S.' petition to probe into China's shipbuilding industry for alleged unfair practices as “trade protectionism” and “lacking factual basis.”

The remarks come after the United Steelworkers and other unions filed a petition with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday outlining alleged “unreasonable and discriminatory acts, policies, and practices” that have helped China dominate global shipbuilding, the Financial Times reported.

He Yadong, spokesperson for the Chinese Commerce Ministry (MOFCOM) said that the accusations made by some U.S. organizations against China are completely unfounded.

Multiple reports have pointed out that the decline of the U.S. shipbuilding industry is mainly due to overprotection while the development of the Chinese shipbuilding industry has benefited from increasing technological innovation and high-end, intelligent and green development, He said.

“U.S. blaming China for its own industrial development issues lacks factual basis,” He said.

The petition was filed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The USTR office said it will review the allegations from the unions and decide within 45 days whether they merit a probe, according to media reports.

He said that the Section 301 measures are typical examples of unilateralism, which violates the basic principles of the WTO and disregards multilateral trade rules. Previous Section 301 measures taken by the U.S. against China have been ruled to violate WTO rules.

It is hoped that the U.S. will make prudent decisions and avoid making same mistakes. The Chinese side will closely follow how it proceeds and take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights, He added.