WASHINGTON, 15 June (BBC) -- President Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on $50bn worth of Chinese goods, accusing Beijing of intellectual copyright theft. The US will impose further tariffs if China retaliates, the White House said.

President Donald Trump said the tariffs were aimed at hitting the "Made in China 2025" plan aimed at making its high-technology industries dominant.

He said this plan would "hurt economic growth for the United States and many other countries."

The US wants China to stop practices that allegedly encourage transfer of intellectual property - design and product ideas - to Chinese companies, such as requirements that foreign firms share ownership with local partners to access the Chinese market.

"We must take strong defensive actions to protect America's leadership in technology and innovation against the unprecedented threat posed by China's theft of our intellectual property, the forced transfer of American technology, and its cyber attacks on our computer networks," said US ambassador Robert Lighthizer.

He said that President Trump "rightfully recognises that if we want our country to have a prosperous future, we must take a stand now to uphold fair trade and protect American competitiveness."