China, Japan protest US probe into need for auto tariffs

China and Japan both condemned Thursday the Trump administration's decision to launch an investigation into whether tariffs are needed on imports of vehicles and automotive parts into the United States.China's Commerce Ministry said Beijing would "firmly defend" its rights and interests against what it called the Trump administration's abuse of national security provisions in trade.Japan's minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hiroshige Seko, said Japan, which accounts for about 40 percent of