BEIJING - China began levying anti-dumping duties on printing paper imports from Europe, the United States, and Japan on Wednesday, the Ministry of Commerce said.

The measure came after a preliminary investigation launched by the ministry last December showed that companies in the three regions were dumping printing paper in China, which harmed the country's domestic printing paper industry, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Importers of printing paper from the three regions will be required to set aside deposits with Chinese customs ranging from 17.6 percent to 28.8 percent, depending on the level of dumping, the statement said.

The ministry did not elaborate on how long the measure will last.