Japan will scrutinize China's claim that polyvinyl chloride products from Japan are being sold on the Chinese market at unfairly low prices, trade minister Takeo Hiranuma said Tuesday.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry issued a preliminary ruling Monday saying PVC products from Japan, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan and the United States are being dumped in China.
"As the government, we will carefully study the content of the preliminary ruling and call on China to improve the situation if we find problems (with the ruling)," Hiranuma, head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said at a news conference.
Hiranuma said he hopes the Chinese antidumping probe will be conducted in accordance with World Trade Organization rules.
PVC exports to China from Japan totaled 34.4 billion yen in value in 2002 and accounted for 24 percent of the total output of the products in Japan.