China has expressed "strong dissatisfaction" over Washington's decision to launch a probe into allegations of “intellectual property malpractice” in the country, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.

The US Trade Representative formally announced the investigation on Friday following calls from President Donald Trump last week to determine whether a probe was necessary.

The investigation is the administration’s first direct measure against Chinese trade practices, which the White House and US business groups claim are damaging American industry.

The Commerce Ministry said that it would take appropriate measures to defend China's lawful interests and that Washington should respect the facts and act prudently.

“The US’ disregard of World Trade Organisation rules and use of domestic law to initiate a trade investigation against China is irresponsible and its criticism of China is not objective,” a ministry spokesman said.

Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act was a popular trade tool in the 1980s that has rarely been used in the past decade. It allows the US president to unilaterally impose tariffs or other trade restrictions on foreign countries to protect US industries from “unfair trade practices”.