WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) Wednesday cleared the way for the U.S. government to levy antidumping duties on imports of multi-layered wood flooring from China.

The USITC also said in its website that the U.S. Commerce Department has already made a ruling last month supporting the antidumping duties.

According to the Commerce Department ruling, the U.S. would impose 58.84 percent-antidumping duties and countervailing duties of up to 26.73 percent on imports of this product from China.

Imports of multi-layered wood flooring from China were valued at an estimated 310 million U.S. dollars in 2010, accounting for more than 40 percent of such products consumed in the U.S., according to the USITC.

The U.S. move came at a time when protectionism is making a comeback in America amid sluggish economic recovery. It was widely believed that such actions would only hurt U.S.- China trade relations that are increasingly critical to global recovery.