BEIJING (Reuters) - China's commerce ministry has launched an anti-dumping investigation on imports from the United States of propanol, used as a printing ink solvent for food packaging and to make antibiotics, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The period of the anti-dumping investigation, which will include related products, is from Jan. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018, and the industrial damage investigation period is from Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2018, the statement said.
The probe will be conducted from July 23, 2019 and is expected to be completed in one year. In special cases it could be extended to Jan. 23, 2021.
China launched the review amid an ongoing trade war between Beijing and Washington that has roiled global markets.
An anti-dumping investigation application was formally submitted by domestic companies Nanjing Nuoao New Material Co, Nanjing Rongxin Chemical Co., Ltd and Zibo Nalcohol Chemical Co., Ltd on June 14, the ministry said.
The companies produced more than 50% of China's total output of propanol and similar products from 2015 to 2018, according to evidence from the companies and a preliminary review by the ministry.