The commerce ministry has decided to levy final anti-dumping duties at a range between 12.6 to 56.7 percent, a jump in the upper limit of previous levels set at 17 to 35 percent, the ministry said on its website (www.mofcom.gov.cn).
The adjustments in the tariff came after a number of domestic enterprises requested the re-examination of tax rates as European firms had increased the dumping of potato starch products since the second half of 2008, the ministry added.
Last August, the ministry launched an investigation into whether to impose separate countervailing duties on potato starch imports from the EU by examining the size of subsidies to European firms. It said those findings will likely come by August.
The number of anti-dumping and countervailing cases initiated by China against other countries and vice-versa is rising, a sign of increasing trade friction following the global financial crisis.
The Doha round of talks at the World Trade Organization, launched in 2001 with the aim of reducing poverty by cutting global trade barriers, is at risk of fizzling as WTO members remain divided on how to open their markets to foreign goods.
Last week, European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said there was "no reason to be optimistic" about the chances of success in the Doha talks, instead hinting at the alternative of more bilateral and regional free trade deals.
Many of China's trade partners, including the United States and the EU, would also like to see faster appreciation of the yuan, saying an undervalued currency gives Chinese exporters an unfair competitive edge. (Reuters)
