Taiwan is to challenge anti-dumping duties imposed by Canada on some of its steel goods at the World Trade Organization, a Taiwanese economics ministry official said on Thursday.

Canada slapped duties on some imports of carbon steel welded pipes from Taiwan in 2012 and the move to have a WTO panel rule on the dispute comes after bilateral negotiations failed, said Jack Hsiao from the ministry's Office of Trade Negotiations.

Hsiao told Reuters that once a WTO panel was formed to review the dispute, it could take six months for a ruling to be given.

The annual value of Taiwan's exports of carbon steel welded pipes to Canada has dropped from around $19 million before the anti-dumping duties were imposed to around $5 million now, Hsiao said.

Taiwan made a formal request for consultations with Canada on the matter in June last year, in accordance with the WTO's dispute-resolution mechanism.

Separately, the ministry said in a statement it regretted a decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission supporting anti-dumping duties as high as 19.5 percent on imports to the United States of solar products from Taiwan.