Japan launched a complaint against China at the World Trade Organization on Thursday, challenging Beijing’s anti-dumping duties on Japanese steel firms.
The third complaint brought by Japan to the global trade body this year seeks to overturn anti-dumping duties levied by China on Japanese exports of high performance stainless steel seamless tubes, which are used in coal-fired power plants. Beijing can levy such duties if it suspects imports are being sold at unfairly cheap prices on its market, according to Reuters.
China will be given a 60-day period following the complaint to settle the dispute, after which Japan can ask the WTO to appoint a panel of adjudicators to rule on its complaint.
China levied 14.4% duty on imports from Kobe Steel and 9.2% on supplies from Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp., affecting $5.8 billion worth of Japanese exports to China in 2011.
Beijing would “appropriately handle” Japan’s latest complaint in accordance with the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
