China's photovoltaic industry has been accused of dumping by the US, EU and now India. (Photo/Xinhua)

Indian enterprises have followed in the footsteps of the US and EU in applying to the government to launch an anti-dumping investigation into China's solar panel exports, reports China National Radio, the national radio station of the People's Republic of China.

Earlier this month, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce expressed the country's "deep regrets" over the European Commission's decision to launch a probe into allegations that China was exporting solar panel products at prices below market value or even the costs of production. "Restricting China's solar panel products will not only hurt the interests of both Chinese and European industry, it will also undermine the healthy development of the global solar and clean energy sector," the spokesman said.

In May, the US Commerce Department slapped anti-dumping duties of 31% to 250% on Chinese solar-product imports following a similar investigation.

Now India, where solar power is regarded as a crucial developing industry, has also declared that it has received applications calling for an anti-dumping probe into Chinese exports.

Gu Huamin, the technical director of Nanjing-based GCL Solar Systems, says he is not concerned about the Indian government taking measures against the Chinese solar power industry.

"India's production chain is incomplete," Gu said, adding that the country does not even have an industry for the manufacture of polysilicon, a key material in the production of solar cells.

Under the government's solar power development project, India is targeting 200 megawatts of off-grid solar power generation and 2,000 on-grid solar power generation by 2013.

But although India's demand for solar power products is on the rise, low efficiency and stagnant growth have prompted GCL to close down its operations in India, Gu said. The European market is significant but even the Middle East and other Southeast Asian countries might be more suitable for Chinese enterprises than India, he added.

An anti-dumping investigation by the Indian government will not affect China's solar industry due to a relatively low export volume and India's protectionist stance when it comes to foreign trade, Gu said. On the other hand, Han Xiaoping, the CIO of China5e.com, is concerned that an investigation by Indian authorities could cause a domino effect.

China did not take immediate action when the US began its anti-dumping investigation, Han said. The EU then joined and now India; next it might be Brazil or Russia, and more and more countries might try to use anti-dumping as an excuse to ban Chinese imports of solar products, he added.

China's Ministry of Commerce cannot just rely on the industry and must take action to strike back immediately, Han said.

References:

Gu Huamin　　顧華敏

Han Xiaoping　　韓曉平