The United States International Trade Commission concluded in a sunset review on Monday that the US would continue to levy anti-dumping duties on honey imported from China, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The commission made the decision out of concerns that imports of honey from China would cause substantial damage to the honey industry in the US in the foreseeable future.

A sunset review is a re-evaluation of the existing anti-dumping regulation. According to the Uruguay Round Agreement Act, the anti-dumping or countervailing duty order should be revoked unless the revocation is likely to lead to a recurrence of material injuries.

This was the commission's second sunset review on honey from China since its first anti-dumping order in December 2001. The current anti-dumping tax rate is between 25.88 percent and 183.8 percent.

China's Ministry of Commerce has repeatedly expressed the hope that the US government would commit to anti-protectionism and that the two sides could handle trade frictions in a less confrontational style to create a free, open and fair international trade environment.