The US International Trade Commission has passed a proposal to launch an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese-imported seamless steel pipes.

It was passed by a vote of 6-0 from the six committee members. The decision was made a day after the US and China made a commitment not to impose protectionist measures on each other at the 20th China-US Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT).

Citing the figures from the US Department of Commerce, China’s exported seamless steel pipes to US increased 132% and were valued about RMB382M ($55.9M) from 2006 to 2008. According to a report from Reuters, the US wants to impose a nearly 100% duty on Chinese-imported steel pipes.

This proposal was initiated by the US Steel Corporation, V&M Star LP, TMK IPSCO and the United Steelworkers (USW) in early October, and a 98.37% anti-dumping duty was requested in the petition. China strongly opposes this proposal and has resorted to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to start a 60-day dispute resolution procedure.