(Yicai Global) Feb. 8 -- China's anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into sorghum imported from the United States are normal trade remedy cases, Gao Feng, spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce, said at a press briefing today.

China has consistently opposed arbitrary trade remedies and their abuse, and will investigate in strict accordance with World Trade Organization rules and Chinese law, he added. The ministry announced the probes on Feb. 4 after preliminary evidence showed that sorghum grown in the US had been exported to China at a price lower than its normal value.

The volume of sorghum imported to China from the US rose to nearly 5.9 million tons in 2016 from 317,000 tons in 2013, boosting its market share to 61 percent from 8 percent, data from China's General Administration of Customs shows. The price of such sorghum fell to as little as USD199 a ton last year, down from USD290 in 2013.

The increase in volume and simultaneous drop in price has impaired production and the financial position of producers in China, Gao said, adding that the ministry hopes other WTO members will abide by international rules to resolve their economic and trade differences.

Sorghum is a cereal often used to feed livestock but also made into porridges and other dishes for humans. It is a key ingredient in versions of China's national liquor baijiu.