By Agence France-Presse China's Ministry of Commerce said Aug. 12 it had launched a probe into claims that foreign imports of a raw chemical used in making pesticides and medicines were being dumped on the domestic market. The ministry on its Web site said the investigation into the dumping of benzofuranol was initiated at the request of Hunan Haili Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. and supported by Jiangsu Shennong Chemical Co. Ltd. The two companies -- the only two domestic producers of the benzofuranol -- claim imports of the raw material from Japan, the European Union and the United States were forcing prices down. China currently imports around 1,500 tons to 1,800 tons of benzofuranol annually. The dumping probe is due to be completed by Aug. 12, 2005, but could be extended under special circumstances, the ministry said. The ministry said it would then issue an initial ruling and levy anti-dumping duties if necessary. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2004
