China has filed its first complaint to the World Trade Organisation since it joined the body last December. It has protested against the decision of the US to impose tariffs of up to 30 per cent on steel imports, saying that the move violates fair trade practices. China is the world’s largest steel producer, although it exports little to the US. Even so, a Moftec official told China Daily that the action could harm the profitability of Chinese companies, since the import barriers may divert Japanese and Korean steel to China and therefore reduce prices.