China's Commerce Ministry said Monday it has launched an anti-dumping probe into stainless steel imports from South Korea, Japan, the European Union(EU) and Indonesia amid concerns of their impact on the local industry.   

In the announcement on its Web site, the ministry said the investigation will target stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel sheets and plates imported from the three countries and the EU, noting the probe is at the request of a Chinese steel firm.

The ministry said that steel products from the aforementioned nations accounted for over half of the Chinese market between 2014 and 2017.

China said the anti-dumping probe will conduct surveys, on-site inspections and public hearings to determine whether steel imports hurt the domestic industry.