China imposes import duties on mega US poultry imports

CHINA`s Ministry of Commerce has announced it will impose import tariffs of up to 105.4 per cent on US poultry following the conclusion of an antidumping investigation, Bloomberg reported.

Beijing began its investigation after the US imposed antidumping tariffs on imports of Chinese-made tyres last year. China imported US$678.2 million worth of US poultry in 2009, out of total US exports worth US$4 billion.


Poultry - partly because of the popularity of chicken feet - is one of the few products in which the US maintains a trade surplus with China.


Duties will range from 50.3 per cent to 53.4 per cent for US producers that cooperated with China`s investigation, and 105.4 per cent for producers that did not.


"The final ruling is that there is a causal relationship between the US dumping of broiler products and the losses suffered by the Chinese industry," said the ministry statement.