China takes the U.S. to court over alleged RE violations

Two of the world’s leaders in renewable energy accuse each other of unfair trade practices.

China said that six different U.S. measures supporting the American renewable energy industries violate World Trade Organization rules. The announcement by the Ministry of Commerce came a week after a U.S. decision to impose punitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar cell makers.

China also alleges that renewable energy subsidies in five U.S. states violate free trade rules. It filed a complaint last week at the WTO over U.S. procedures for calculating anti-subsidy duties on imports.

The U.S. Department of Commerce imposed levies ranging from 31% and 250% on Chinese solar cell exports after saying it had found Chinese makers were selling solar cells in the U.S. at artificially low prices, a practice otherwise known as dumping.

China said it had started an investigation of unfair U.S. practices last November at the request of local industry associations.

“China has been engaged in a trade war against the U.S. interests for a number of years and only now are we calling them to the carpet for their illegal and predatory trade practices,” said Mike Wessel, a member of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission that reports to Congress.