WASHINGTON, March 14 -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Friday approved anti-dumping and countervailing investigations on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from China, paving the way for the Department of Commerce to set preliminary duties in the months ahead.

The trade panel voted in the affirmative that there was a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry was materially injured by imports of these products, the ITC said in a statement.

The U.S. Department of Commerce will continue the investigations, launched on Feb. 21, on imports of these products and is expected to make its preliminary countervailing duty determination in April and its anti-dumping duty determination in July.

The investigations are in response to the petition filed by ArcelorMittal USA based in the state of Illinois and five other U. S. companies. The American companies alleged that these products from China were sold below the fair value of the products in the U. S. market with dumping margins from 99.32 percent to 110.25 percent, and Chinese producers and exporters also received improper government subsidies.

Imports of these products from China were estimated at 313 million U.S. dollars last year, according to U.S. official data.

Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to honor its commitment against protectionism and work with China to maintain a free, open and just trade environment.