CHINA has imposed punitive duties on imports of oriented silicon electrical steel from the United States and Russia for their dumping and subsidies, the Ministry of Commerce said today.

It followed the US announcement last Friday of anti-dumping tariffs ranging from 30 percent to 99 percent on more than US$1 billion worth of China-made steel pipe imports, adding to the growing list of trade frictions.

China today in a final ruling said the US and Russia dumped their oriented silicon electrical steel in China and caused substantial harm to the domestic industry. Also, the US unfairly subsidized its producers, it said.

China started to collect anti-dumping tariffs of 64.8 percent from US producers and 25 percent from those of Russia on Sunday. The US producers also have to pay countervailing duties of 44.6 percent.

"This is China's first anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation," said ministry officials. "China is sticking to the principle of being fair and transparent in the investigation procedure which was properly carried out according to the law."