The U.S. Department of Commerce concluded yesterday that the Chinese government is improperly subsidizing solar manufacturers, so the United States will impose countervailing duties ranging from 2.9 percent to 4.73 percent on Chinese-made solar panels and cells.
Im Handelsblatt bezieht Ben Hill, Europa-Chef des chinesischen Solarkonzerns Trina Solar Stellung und zeigt sich enttäuscht von der Abwehrreaktion von SolarWorld und seinen Koalitionspartnern. In den USA ist bereits eine Klage gegen chinesische Hersteller anhängig, ihnen wirft die sogenannte CASM (Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing) vor, Solarmodule zu Dumpingpreisen auf den Markt zu bringen. Für Europa hat Frank Asbeck, Chef von SolarWorld eine ähnliche Klage angekündigt.
The group fighting SolarWorld’s bid for duties on Chinese-manufactured crystalline photovoltaic cells and modules on Monday released a report that claims protectionist measures would result in between 14,000 and 60,000 fewer American jobs than would otherwise exist by the end of 2014—but that wasn’t the only news in the solar trade battle. SolarWorld claimed a victory of its own as the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled that a surge in Chinese imports since the company filed its trade petition in October constituted “critical circumstances.” That means that if the government rules in SolarWorld’s favor on March 2 on the company’s countervailing duties claim, the duties would be applied retroactively to early December.
A group of seven US-based manufacturers of solar panels is alarmed. These manufacturers, led by Solar World, a German firm with a plant in Oregon, filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission, which reached a preliminary conclusion in December that US companies were, in fact, being harmed by subsidized imports. If the Commerce Department goes on to find that Chinese firms have been dumping solar panels on the US market at prices below their costs, it could impose steep tariffs of 50 to 250% on Chinese panels, according to this report in The Times by Matt Wald. The Chinese government provides billions of dollars of low-cost financing and free or cheap land to Chinese solar firms.