China expressed Thursday strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the United States decision to slap punitive penalties on Chinese oil well pipe imports, saying the goods are no threat to American companies.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) on Wednesday made affirmative determination in its final phase countervailing duty investigation on the China-made oil pipes, imposing duties of 10.36 percent to 15.78 percent on the imports, a move to offset government subsidies it said China provided to its steelmakers.

The US ITC figures show that the United States imported about US$2.8 billion worth of oil well pipes in 2008.

An official from the Ministry of Commerce said in an online statement that the Chinese side was strongly dissatisfied with and resolutely opposed the vote of the US ITC for countervailing duties, as it is the shrinking demand for oil amid the global financial crises , not the Chinese imports, that caused the American companies' difficulties.

The US domestic manufacturers has been seeking opportunities to gain trade relief and protection, and attributed theirs hardships to imports, said the unnamed official in the statement.

The accusation that Chinese oil well pipes have damaged US industry is a wrong doing ignoring the fact that the international financial crises was the root cause for industry difficulties, according to the statement.

Demand for oil well pipes would increase gradually as the international crude and natural gas prices are rising, and the Chinese exports of oil pipes to the United States cannot be causing damage or threat to the American manufacturers, the statement said.

The US ITC is scheduled to make a final vote on the anti-dumping investigation involving the case in May next year.

China urged the United States to face the objective facts, take effective measures to correct the mistake, and make a fair, just, and reasonable ruling, in a move to honor its commitments to opposing trade protectionism, according to the statement.

(Xinhua News Agency January 1, 2010)