China hints at retaliation against US anti-dumping probe

Beijing: China on Saturday hinted at a possible legal challenge against anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations by the US on steel exports from the Communist giant.

"China will encourage and support its steel companies to defend themselves according to law, and China will safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its steel companies using World Trade Organization rules," a statement by the Ministry of Commerce of China (MOC) said.

The MOC statement which was issued after United States announced the investigations said that trade remedy measures were "not the solution to global steel overcapacity" and "will hinder normal global trade", state-run Xinhua news agency reported.