Trade cases

India’s Centre for Science and Technology (CSE) has launched a scathing attack on U.S. photovoltaic manufacturers, claiming they are “ruining” India’s domestic photovoltaic manufacturing industry by taking advantage of the US$30 billion Fast Start Finance Fund.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has responded to EU anti-dumping trade case against Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers. MOFCOM has claimed that the aggressive pricing of Chinese modules is a result of cost reductions, economies of scale and low polysilicon prices.

Following the admission by SolarWorld yesterday that a complaint against Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers had been filed in Europe, a statement was released announcing the launch of the “EU ProSun” initiative, behind which over 20 European solar manufacturers are hiding.

SolarWorld has confirmed to pv magazine that an anti-dumping complaint has been filed by a consortium of European manufacturers with the European Commission. More information is expected to be released by the Bonn-based company this afternoon.

Turnabout is fair play—or rather, fair trade, according to China, which on July 20 announced that it would launch countervailing duty (CVD) and anti-dumping (AD) investigations against the U.S. solar industry, as well as an AD case against South Korea.

It is only a matter of time until SolarWorld AG finally files an anti-dumping (AD) complaint with the European Commission, alleging that China has flooded the German market with underpriced solar cells and modules, to the detriment of domestic manufacturers and in deviation from fair trade policies. In anticipation that the case will come sooner rather than later, Jefferies Group, Inc. held a conference call to provide insights into the differences between how trade cases are handled in the United States and the EU.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has said that “several” subsidy programs in China have been found to be countervailable. These findings, however, have not impacted on the original preliminary countervailing duty (CVD) rates announced in March.

Three months after making its preliminary countervailing duty (CVD) determination, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has reportedly upped the rates Chinese photovoltaic manufacturers will have to pay for exporting their cells to the U.S.

Chinese polysilicon producers are allegedly putting pressure on their government to impose duties on U.S. imports.

According to industry analysts at Jefferies, the anti-dumping and countervailing duty trade case will move to Europe this month.