China imposes duties on steel tubes from EU, Japan

BEIJING (AFP) - China said on Thursday it was imposing duties on steel tube imports from the European Union and Japan as it concluded an investigation into products it says were sold at prices below market levels.

The move is the latest volley in a slew of trade rows between China and its key trade partners that have seen tit-for-tat duties put on a range of goods.

The duties - ranging from 9.2 to 14.4 per cent - on specialised stainless steel tubes sold by European and Japanese companies for five years will kick in on Friday, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.

The final ruling on the case cut the rate of the anti-dumping taxes sharply from the 9.7-39.2 per cent set in the ministry's preliminary decision announced in May. The tubes are mainly used in industrial boilers.