Chinese responds to solar anti-dumping duties with EU wine probe

Jun 7, 2013 - China yesterday initiated an anti-dumping and countervailing probe into wine imports from the European Union (EU), a move that is seen as a response to the anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar modules that the EU unveiled this week.

The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on its website that the domestic industry had demanded such an investigation, claiming that wine imports from Europe were subsidised and dumped in China. “We noticed that imports of EU wines grew rapidly indeed in quantity in recent years, to which MOFCOM will conduct a strict investigation according to law,” said officials of the Ministry’s Bureau of Fair Trade for Imports and Exports

The EU on Tuesday officially announced that it would impose provisional anti-dumping duties of between 37.2% and 67.9% on Chinese imports of solar panels, cells and wafers. For two months starting on June 6, defined as a transitional period, Chinese solar imports will be subject to a tariff of 11.8%. After August 6 the full duties, which stand at 47.6% on average will be in force, unless China and the EU reach an alternative solution. After December 5, the EU will have to decide whether to impose permanent anti-dumping levies for five years.

Already some 17 EU member states oppose the measure. Yesterday, UK Energy Minister Greg Barker said in The Telegraph that the anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar products would seriously harm the solar sector in Europe and threaten the European Union’s 20% renewables goal by 2020.

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