WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday set final subsidy rates on chlorinated isocyanurates from China, a chemical often used to sanitize water in swimming pools, signaling that it may impose punitive duties on the products.

The department made its final affirmative determination that Chinese producers and exporters of chlorinated isocyanurates received countervailable subsidies ranging from 1.55 percent to 20.06 percent.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is scheduled to make its final determination around Oct. 23, 2014. If the ITC determines that these products materially injure or threaten material injury to the U.S. industry, the Commerce Department would issue countervailing duty orders, otherwise the investigations will be terminated.

The Commerce Department launched the investigation in September 2013, in response to a petition filed by the West Virginia-based Clearon Corp. and Texas-based Occidental Chemical Corporation, which alleged Chinese producers and exporters received improper government subsidies.

On the same day, the U.S. Commerce Department also announced its affirmative final determinations in antidumping duty investigations on chlorinated isocyanurates from Japan.

In 2013, the United States imported an estimated 168.6 million U.S. dollars and 50.4 million dollars of chlorinated isocyanurates from China and Japan, according to the Commerce Department.

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