WASHINGTON - A US trade panel gave its approval on Thursday to an investigation into accusations that electric blankets made in China are being sold in the United States at unfairly low prices.

The US International Trade Commission voted 6-0 that there was a reasonable indication that imports of the blankets had materially injured or threatened to materially injure US producers of the products.

The case was brought by Florida-based Jarden Consumer Solutions, which has asked for anti-dumping duties ranging from 128 per cent to nearly 395 per cent to be placed on the imported Chinese blankets.

The United States imported US$29.7 million (S$42.8 million) of the blankets from China last year, and imports increased in volume by 16.8 per cent between 2006 and 2008.

The ITC vote allows the Commerce Department to continue an investigation that is expected to lead to preliminary anti-dumping duties on the blankets by early December.

The ITC is scheduled to vote again on the issue of injury in April before final duties would go into effect.

The case is the latest in a number of complaints brought by US producers against Chinese competitors.

President Barack Obama will have to decide by September 17 whether to restrict tire imports from China in response to a petition filed by union workers. – REUTERS