Cargo Business Newswire

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

U.S. solar manufacturers want duties placed on over $1 bil of Chinese imports

U.S. -based solar-equipment manufacturers are lobbying the Federal government to place duties on over $1 billion of competing imports from China, alleging unfair Chinese government subsidy.

China reportedly leverages cash grants, preferential loans, and discounts on raw materials, tax incentives and currency manipulation to prop up exports of solar cells, a crucial component to solar panels, according to a Bloomberg Businesweek report.

"The illegal subsidies that China has put into the solar industry are no different than giving an athlete a bucket full of steroids," said Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries America Inc. at a news conference in Washington D.C.

Brinser claimed China "is illegally seizing control of the U.S. solar market, manufacturing and our jobs."

The solar equipment sector issue follows on the heels of complaints by the U.S. wind-energy industry that China forces its manufacturers to make products there, and the passage of last week’s Senate bill that seeks to punish China for not revaluing its currency.

For the full Bloomberg Businessweek story: www.businessweek.com