China Iron & Steel Association (CISA) said on Tuesday that it was satisfied with the decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) to terminate an antitrust case.

The CISA statement came on March 19, after the USITC decided to terminate its investigation into imports of Chinese steel products for alleged violation of antitrust laws, also known as Section 337.

The USITC launched the probe after receiving complaints from U.S. Steel in 2016, which reported three unfair acts—a conspiracy to fix prices and control output and export volumes, the misappropriation and use of U.S. Steel's trade secrets, and the false designation of origin or manufacturer. 

The USITC said it found U.S. Steel had failed to plead or demonstrate antitrust injury.

The CISA said after receiving the complaints, it organized Chinese steel companies to actively respond to the complaints and achieved a victory against the three allegations after 20 months of efforts.

The U.S. has been continuously creating trade friction with China in the steel sector for many years and launched a new wave of protectionism recently, triggering more and more opposition in the international community, the CISA said.