BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Commerce will extend anti-dumping duties levied on potato starch imported from the European Union (EU) for another five years, starting Thursday.

If anti-dumping measures are terminated, the dumping of imported potato starch from the EU may continue or recur, potentially causing ongoing or renewed harm to China's potato starch industry, the ministry said.

China first imposed anti-dumping duties on imported potato starch from the EU in 2007, with the duties lasting five years. On April 18, 2011, the country announced an adjustment of the anti-dumping duty rates to between 12.6 percent and 56.7 percent.

Potato starch is widely used in the food industry to make industrial materials, such as emulsifiers, as well as food products, such as instant noodles.