China dismayed over U.S. probe of steel

BEIJING, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. investigations into tubular and pipe steel imported from China is troubling for the Chinese government, the Commerce Ministry said.

The U.S. Commerce department this week said it was launching anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into Chinese steel pipes used in oil and gas drilling, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Countervailing duties are duties imposed under World Trade Organization rules to neutralize the negative effects of other duties, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia said.

The U.S. decision to open the investigations has been protested, Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Jian said. Warning the move would send the wrong signals to the world, Yao said China would monitor the case and respond as appropriate.

"The steel pipe is the main product of Chinese steel exports to the U.S.," Yao said. "The move will seriously hurt the Sino-U.S. steel trade and pose negative impact on the relevant U.S. industries."

U.S. steelmakers April 8 filed an anti-dumping suit with U.S. trade bodies for an investigation into the steel products, Xinhua reported.

Yao said the probes constituted discrimination against Chinese products and an abuse of special safeguard measures.