WASHINGTON - The US International Trade Commission (USITC) on Tuesday approved countervailing duties and antidumping probes on imports from China and Japan of a chemical often used to sanitize water in swimming pools.

Four participating commissioners all voted in the affirmative that there is a reasonable indication that a US industry is materially hurt by imports of the chemical from China and Japan, whose technical name is chlorinated isocyanurates, the USITC said in a statement.

As a result, the US Commerce Department will continue its preliminary countervailing duty probe concerning China due on or about December 9 and its preliminary antidumping duty decision concerning Japan in February 2014, it said.

The probe is based on a complaint filed by West Virginia-based Clearon Corp. and Texas-based Occidental Chemical Corporation, which alleged the dumping margins between 129.4 percent to 218.1 percent and the subsidy rate well above 2 percent.

In 2012, imports of this chemical from China and Japan were estimated at 145.2 million dollars and 57.7 million dollars respectively, according to the Commerce Department.

As the U.S. economy is undergoing a slow recovery, some U.S. firms tend to edge out overseas competition, putting their fellow companies which depend on global supply chains in a disadvantaged position.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has repeatedly urged Washington to abide by its commitment against protectionism and help maintain a free, open and just international trade environment.