China opposes EU's solar anti-dumping probe

BEIJING -- A chamber of commerce announced on Thursday that it strongly opposed to an anti-dumping probe made by the European Union (EU) towards solar imports from China.

China's purchase of EU raw materials and equipment in the solar energy sector benefits the EU in terms of employment and its own green growth, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) said in a statement.

Solar energy industry has developed quickly in recent years driven by EU technology and low costs in China, said CCCME.

Recently, Chinese solar products have been more competitive than their EU rivals because of slumping prices in raw materials and domestic technological progress instead of dumping or government subsidies, the CCCME said.

However, the EU probe has overshadowed bilateral cooperation, harming the interests of companies from both sides, endangering development of the industry, and even having no regard for the interests of the hundreds of thousands of employees in the industry in EU countries, said CCCME.

Given the global trend of solar energy, the CCCME urged the EU to refrain from employing trade remedy measures and redress its protectionist measures, in order to benefit long-term development of the industry.

The European Commission said in a notice on Thursday that it will probe the possible dumping of solar panels by Chinese producers, marking the biggest such complaint filed by the EU in terms of import value.