US upsets China over solar panel ruling
22nd May 2012
Tensions are arising between the US and China after an anti-dumping duty was imposed on Chinese solar power equipment.
In basic terms, this means that any solar panels imported from China will now face a tariff of at least 31 per cent - leading to significant price hikes for consumers.
As you can probably imagine, this hasn't exactly gone down well with the Chinese!
Shen Danyang, a spokesman for China's commerce ministry, said: "The US ruling is unfair, and the Chinese side expresses its extreme dissatisfaction."
He explained that the tariffs will hurt both countries because China imports so many raw materials and other products to the US to produce solar panels.
However, the US has said that the move is designed to stop the market becoming flooded with cheap solar panel imports - something the country is keen to avoid.
This is still very much a work in progress, with the exact figures unlikely to be released until later this year.
Should other countries follow the example of the US, then who knows what this might do to the global solar panel market and trade relations as a whole.
Posted by Mike Peacock
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Solar Power