China will impose anti-dumping duties from Friday of up to 37 percent on a chemical imported from the European Union, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said Thursday, the latest move in a string of disputes that could fuel rising tension between the trade partners.
Trade ties between China and the EU have been strained by the imposition of a series of anti-dumping tariffs, particularly after the EU launched punitive duties on Chinese exports of solar panels.
Thursday's decision sets duties ranging from 19.6 percent to 36.9 percent on European exports of toluidine, a chemical used to produce dye, medicine and pesticides, among other uses.
The duty will take effect from June 28 and run for five years, the commerce ministry said on its website.
A tax of 19.6 percent will be imposed on exports of the chemical by Lanxess Deutschland GmbH, while the other affected firms will have to pay 36.9 percent, it said.
The announcement concluded an investigation into the product that began in June 2012.
China may look into a complaint about luxury cars imported from the EU, fanning worries that trade friction that started over solar panels may spread to some of the goods most popular with wealthy Chinese.
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