Producers protest US trade duties on solar cells from China

BEIJING - Chinese producers on Thursday protested the United States' latest decision to slash trade duties on solar energy products from China.

The decision has seriously distorted the situation of the Chinese solar energy industry and the exports of the Chinese solar energy products to the US, said a statement issued by China's Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products.

The duties will seriously damage the sustainability of the renewable energy industry in the two countries and across the world, the statement said.

The US International Trade Commission on Wednesday gave final approval to duties on solar energy products from China for the next five years.

The ruling cleared the way for the US Commerce Department to issue anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules from China.

The Commerce Department determined in October that Chinese producers and exporters sold these products in the US market at dumping margins ranging from 18.32 percent to 249.96 percent, and they received countervailable subsidies of 14.78 percent to 15.97 percent.

The ruling ended the probe that commenced on Nov 8, 2011, following a petition from SolarWorld, the largest US solar-panel manufacturer. It accused the Chinese competitors of selling solar cells and panels in the US at low prices with government subsidies.