Heads of China's solar industry on Tuesday said they "strongly oppose" an investigation by the U.S. into Chinese-made solar panels and asserted that competitive advantages alone explain their success on the global market.
A statement from the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME), which represents the solar industry, added however that the firms did not intend to start a trade war with the U.S. industry.
"China-based PV industries express their strong opposition to the petition for the investigations … and that any trade restrictive measures that may be imposed will unavoidably cause serious impairment to the sustainable development of the green industries as well as consumers interests in both China and the U.S."
China on Friday announced an investigation into U.S. government policy and subsidy support for renewable energy, including solar equipment, a move that came weeks after the United States decided to probe sales of Chinese-made solar panels.
The U.S. Commerce Department accepted a petition from Solarworld Industries Americas Inc, which asked the government to slap duties on Chinese solar cells and modules.
"Chinese companies hereby avow that their fight in the investigations is directed against a few petitioners led by SolarWorld only, not the entire U.S. PV industry. Chinese PV companies have no intention to initiate a trade war in China against the U.S. PV industry," the Chinese statement said.
