China extends antidumping and anti-subsidy duties on polysilicon imported from EU

China’s Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) has decided to extend antidumping and anti-subsidy duties on polysilicon imports from the EU by another 18 months starting from May 1, 2017. According to a press release from the ministry, the undertaking with German polysilicon maker Wacker Chemie, with which the Chinese government reached an agreement on a minimum import price, will also be extended for 18 months. The duties will be applied only to imports coming from EU member states.

China said the extension of the duties was necessary as their cancellation would have likely led to dumping practices from the EU, which would have endangered the Chinese polysilicon industry. The duties were introduced by the Chinese government in May 2014. Mofcom started an investigation on polysilicon imports from the EU a year earlier.

The Chinese duties can be seen as countervailing measure by Beijing against the EU duties on Chinese solar modules. In December 2013, China and the EU sealed an agreement setting a minimum import price and quota for Chinese modules. Chinese module makers that joined the agreement were not applied the EU duties. In early March, the EU decided to extend the duties for an 18-month period. At the same time, the EU started an interim review on the minimum import price and the amount of the duties.