The U.S. Ministry of Commerce has made preliminary ruling on anti-subsidy investigation against imports of solar cells from China on March 19, 2012. The ruling believes that Chinese enterprises have a subsidy rate ranging from 2.9% to 4.73% and should pay tax traced back 90 days.

Head of MOFCOM Department of Fair Trade for Imports and Exports expressed concern that imported solar cells from China have a certain competitive advantage due to Chinese enterprises’ ceaselessly researching and development of advanced technology and broadening the business concepts, and reducing operating costs. Chinese enterprises and U.S. enterprises have very close cooperations in the filed of solar cells production and other new energy. While exporting their products to the U.S., Chinese enterprises are also importing in raw materials and equipments from U.S. enterprises.

U.S. restriction on Chinese imported solar cells will damage not only beneficial from both sides, but also exert an influence on the cooperations between China and U.S. in the field of clean energy industry. China urged the United States to start from long-term cooperation and mutual benefits, dealt with trade frictions on solar cells and other new energy industries carefully and maintained a stable and harmonious development of Sino-US bilateral economic and trade relations.