A new U.S. probe into imports of plywood from China may violate relevant WTO and U.S. rules, and it is a sign of rising protectionism toward Chinese products, said Wang Hejun, an official from the Ministry of Commerce.
Wang's comment came after the U.S. Commerce Department on Friday said that it had decided to launch anti-dumping and countervailing probes into certain hardwood plywood products from China.
The U.S. International Trade Commission reached a verdict in 2013 in which it said that China plywood imports did not cause injuries or threats to the U.S. industry. The verdict was supported by the U.S. Court of International Trade in September 2016, Wang was quoted as saying in a statement posted Monday on the ministry's website.
In just a short time, the plaintiffs in the case launched anti-dumping and countervailing probes into the specified products again. Wang said. "It is an abuse of trade remedies."
Wang said that the investigators failed to offer enough negotiation chances to the Chinese government before placing the case on file.
"It is not convincing to place the case on file in such a hurry and it shows protectionism," he said. China hopes that the U.S. will comply with WTO rules to conduct the probe in an impartial and transparent way, according to Wang.
