US sets more duties on China pipe

The United States has slapped preliminary anti-dumping duties ranging up to 99 percent on Chinese-made oil well pipe in its biggest trade action against China.

The preliminary decision of the Commerce Department comes a little more than a week before President Barack Obama visits China.

The US International Trade Commission will vote on Friday whether to approve three more probes covering coated paper, some types of standard steel fasteners and sodium and potassium phosphate salts from China.

The preliminary duties approved by the Commerce Department included a 36.5 percent levy on pipe and tube products from China for use in the oil industry.

It also set a preliminary 99 percent "China-wide" anti-dumping duty on other producers and exporters.

Since taking office in January, the Obama administration has initiated at least a dozen anti-dumping or countervailing duty investigations against products from China in response to petitions field by industry and union groups.