The China Daily newspaper said the protest was the second by China since its 2001 entry into the WTO and was aimed at thwarting trade protectionism amid the global downturn.

Import duties on four product categories including steel pipes and off-road tyres were first levied by the United States in September.

Despite China's protests, the US International Trade Commission claimed the duties were necessary to offset subsidies by the Chinese government to those exports, the report said.

China on Monday appealed to the WTO for an investigation.

Xinhua news agency said the request was blocked by the United States but that a panel will be set up anyway if China raises the request again at the next meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body on January 20, it said.

In September 2007, China demanded consultations with the United States at the WTO over US anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese coated paper exports.

Beijing's latest protest comes after the United States earlier this month said it had hauled China to the WTO over its programmes to market Chinese-branded goods.

Affected goods can enjoy preferential treatment by the Chinese government, which Washington has labelled as "protectionist" financial support for exports.

Trade disputes remain a key irritant in Sino-US relations, with Washington complaining often about China's huge trade surplus.

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