BEIJING - China's Ministry of Commerce urged Tuesday the United States to stop using trade protectionism in the name of promoting fair trade.

"We hope the United States will not take trade protectionism measures, which are allegedly meant to protect fair trade but actually have a strong political background," spokesman Shen Danyang said.

Shen was commenting on a growing number of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases the US has launched against Chinese products, including wind towers and solar panel equipment.