China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Friday that it will extend its anti-dumping investigation into pea starch imports originating in Canada to February 12, 2027, citing the complexity of the case.

The Ministry of Commerce of China. (File photo: VCG)

The investigation was launched on August 12, 2025. Under Article 26 of China's Anti-Dumping Regulations, the ministry decided to extend the deadline by six months from the original completion date of August 12, 2026, according to a MOFCOM announcement.

The extension means the investigation will continue after Chinese authorities issued a preliminary determination in June that Canadian pea starch had been dumped in the Chinese market, causing material injury to China's domestic industry, and that there was a causal link between the dumping and the injury.

Based on that preliminary finding, MOFCOM introduced provisional anti-dumping measures in the form of deposits. Since July 1, importers have been required to provide deposits to customs at a rate of 73.5 percent when importing the product from Canadian companies, according to the ministry.

MOFCOM initially launched the investigation following an application submitted on June 26, 2025, by six Chinese producers on behalf of the domestic pea starch industry. The investigation covers alleged dumping from January 1 to December 31, 2024, while the period examined for injury to the domestic industry runs from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2024.

A MOFCOM spokesperson said after the investigation was launched that the probe was being conducted in accordance with Chinese laws and WTO rules. MOFCOM would conduct the investigation in an objective and impartial manner and make its final determination based on the findings, according to the spokesperson.