BEIJING, Nov. 22 -- A Unite States government panel said yesterday it was canceling anti-dumping duties on Chinese paper.

The International Trade Commission said it concluded that American industry was not threatened by imports of Chinese coated paper. A U.S. company had complained the imports received improper government subsidies and were unfair competition.

"No anti-dumping or countervailing duties will be imposed on imports of this product," the U.S. agency said on its Website. It said the ruling applied to similar imports from South Korea and Indonesia.

Washington's decision in May to impose duties attracted attention because it reversed 23 years of U.S. policy by treating China the same way other trading partners are treated in subsidy cases.

The U.S. government imposed preliminary tariffs ranging from 23.19 percent to 99.54 percent on imports of glossy Chinese paper used in art books, textbooks and magazines.

China demanded the repeal of the duties and filed a WTO complaint accusing the United States of acting improperly.

(Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)