China has levied an anti-dumping tariff on X-ray security scanners made by European companies, Bloomberg reported, citing an announcement on the website of the Ministry of Commerce.

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China will impose a tax ranging from 33.5 percent to 71.8 percent on such imports for the next five years, effective Jan 23, according to the ministry's website.

The ministry said an investigation showed the makers of European X-ray scanners have "dumped" products into the Chinese market by selling them at a price lower than what is charged in their own markets, and that Chinese manufacturers have suffered actual damages as a result. There has been a causal relationship between the dumping and the actual damage to Chinese manufacturers, according to the investigation.