Beijing, Feb 20 (IANS): China will protect the legitimate rights of its tyre makers, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Saturday in response to a recent trade probe by the US.

On Friday, the US Department of Commerce launched an anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation into tyres for trucks and buses imported from China, Xinhua reported.

The decision was groundless and China expressed serious concerns, said the MOC in a statement.

Since 2007, the US has launched a number of trade remedy probes against Chinese tyres, which have severely hindered normal exports and the industry, said the MOC.

The Chinese government will pay close attention to the case and will protect the legitimate rights of the Chinese tyre makers according to the World Trade Organisation rules.

The MOC also said that China has always been against any abuse of trade remedy measures and hopes the US can cautiously deal with the case to maintain healthy trade cooperation in related sectors between the two countries.