China has imposed countervailing duties on grain-oriented electrical steel (used in transformers, among others) produced in the United States, as well as anti-dumping duties against Russian and US steel.
US producers will be assessed for anti-dumping duties of up to 64.8%, and anti-subsidy duties of up to 44.6%, according to ChinaDaily.com.
The state-backed China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters hailed the Ministry of Commerce's April 10 ruling, which the Ministry has not yet publicly announced, ChinaDaily says, quoting a Xinhua new report.
The Xinhua report, quoting an unnamed official, says China's investigations found that US producers had received subsidies from the US government, and their unfair competition hurt Chinese producers.
On Friday, the US announced a final decision to impose stiff duties on Chinese-made oil country tubular goods, which are steel pipe used in the oil industry.
China has not yet formally responded to that decision, which was announced days before a trip by Chinese president Hu Jintao to Washington. Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis is also in Beijing this week, to hold meetings on trade with Chinese counterparts.
China is encouraging its steel industry to move up the value chain and produce more high-tech steel. The steel used for petroleum pipes, for instance, must be particularly resistant to corrosive oil and gas.
Grain-oriented electrical steel, also known as grain-oriented silicon steel, is used for the cores of high-efficiency transformers, electric motors and generators.
China will impose anti-dumping duties of 7.8% on AK Steel Corp and 19.9% on Allegheny Ludlum Corp, the two American producers that responded to its request for information. AK Steel faces anti-subsidy duties of 11.7% and Ludlum faces 12%.
The report adds that Russian silicon steel producers OJSC Novolipetsk Steel and VIZ-Stal Ltd face anti-dumping duties of 6.3%, while others face duties of 25%.
The investigation was prompted by China's two largest silicon steel producers: Baosteel Group, the state-owned parent of Baoshan Iron and Steel, and Wuhan Iron and Steel Group, parent of Wuhan Steel.
Probes into imports of US grain-oriented electrical steel focused on six issues, including subsidised electricity, gas and coal, and incentives for steel sales and funding in the state of Pennsylvania, the ministry said last summer.