China has imposed anti-dumping duties on the chemical catechol imported from the United States and Japan, said a circular from the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) in Beijing on Monday.

The move came after the MOFCOM decided the import of the products constituted dumping and damaged Chinese industries.

The duties, ranging from four to 46.81 percent, will last five years, said the circular.

The Ministry has required importers to pay the duties to customs offices.

The MOFCOM made a primary decision to take temporary anti-dumping measures on the chemical on December 2, 2005.

China developed the technology of producing catechol in the late 1990s, ending a dependence on imports. However, as exporters dropped their prices, domestic enterprises found it harder to compete so they petitioned the MOFCOM for a dumping investigation.

Statistics from HC360.com, a market analysis website, show China imported over 6,000 tons of catechol in 2005.

Catechol can be used as a rubber hardener, photo developer, plating additive, and in paints and raw materials in making synthetic resin, tannic acid, berberine and adrenaline.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2006)