BEIJING, May 19 (Reuters) - China's commerce ministry launched an anti-dumping probe on Sunday into POM copolymers, a type of engineering chemicals, imported from the EU, U.S., Japan and Taiwan.

The chemicals can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc, and have various applications, including in auto parts, electronics and medical equipment, the ministry said in a statement.

The investigation should be completed in a year but could be extended for six months, the ministry said.

(Reporting by Qiaoyi Li and Sarah Wu; Editing by William Mallard)