Chinese group hits back against US solar manufacturers for “dumping”

The China Photovoltaic Industry Alliance is launching its own counteroffensive against the US for dumping polysilicon at below cost prices in China.

This transpires just a few days after the US Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission agreed to open an investigation into SolarWorld’s claims that China is dumping solar panels in the US far below US costs.

Gao Hongling, deputy secretary general of the CPIA, said that the CPIA is completing its complaint and will ask the ministry to open a dumping and subsidy investigation into the sales of US polysilicon in China.

Gao noted that in addition to the anti-dumping complaint, CPIA will be preparing a petition for the ministry that will urge it to look into subsidies allegedly received by US manufacturers. According to Gao, the Hemlock Semiconductor Group received around US$169 million in subsidies in 2010 while Renewable Energy Corporation got US$155 million in subsidies for polysilicon production.

"Foreign companies lowered polysilicon prices greatly in recent years and this has forced many Chinese polysilicon producers to go bankrupt," Gao stated. According to Gao, and figures from the CPIA, several Chinese polysilicon factories had to stop or reduce production in Q3 with over 2,000 people in the industry losing their jobs in just one province. Furthermore, CPIA claims that the US led foreign countries in dumping 46,500 tons of polysilicon in China in 2010.