China criticized the announcement of pipe duties

　　BEIJING—China on Friday strongly criticized an announcement that the Obama administration had determined preliminary duties on U.S. imports of pipe from China, intensifying trade frictions between the two countries a little more than a week ahead of a visit to China by the U.S. president.

　　A labourer smokes a cigarette on a pile of steel pipes at a steel market in Taiyuan, Shanxi province.

　　The announcement of the duties by the U.S. Commerce Department late Thursday is the latest installment in a lengthening list of trade disputes between the U.S. and China that has escalated since a decision in September by the U.S. to hit Chinese tire exporters with punitive tariffs.

　　Friday's move follows an initial finding by the U.S. Commerce Department in September and raises the duties then imposed on Chinese exporters. The U.S. International Trade Commission must still clear the duties for them to become finalized.

　　China's Ministry of Commerce, in a statement on its Web site noted that G-20 members have promised to resist protectionism. "China resolutely opposes this abusive protectionism and will take action to protect the interests of domestic industries," it said.

　　The United Steelworkers union called the latest case the largest against Chinese imports in U.S. history, based on the volume of imports.

　　At issue are imports of steel pipes used to extract oil or gas from a drill well. Imports of Chinese pipe totaled $2.6 billion last year, more than four times the amount in 2006, the Commerce Department said.