U.S. regulators Tuesday upheld hefty tariffs on Samsung and LG brand residential washing machines manufactured in China, saying these products were sold below costs, harming American appliance makers including Whirlpool Corp.

    The U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously to impose final duties on the products of up to 52.5 percent following a Commerce Department probe last year.

    The decision locks the duties in place for five years, but Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Inc. have largely shifted production for the U.S. market away from China to Thailand and Vietnam.

    The ruling is the latest in a long-running tariff battle between Whirlpool and its South Korean archrivals. In 2012, a previous probe by the U.S. Commerce Department found that Samsung and LG washers made in South Korea and Mexico were sold below production costs in the United States or benefited from unfair subsidies.

    The South Korean companies subsequently shifted production for the U.S. market to China.

    The Commerce Department probe last year stemmed from a petition by Whirlpool over imports of washers made by LG and Samsung in China. In 2015, imports of such washers from China were valued at an estimated US$1.1 billion.(SD-Agencies)