trade dispute

EU member states have passed an 18-month extension of punitive trade duties on imports of Chinese solar products.

The Minimum Import Price (MIP) agreement between the EU and Chinese solar manufacturers requires urgent reform as the 3 March extension deadline draws near.

Even though monkeys were allegedly wreaking havoc on India’s solar rooftop systems last year, 2016 was remarkable for the Indian PV sector. With solar taking 1% the nation’s electricity share and India set to become the world’s third largest market in 2017 , Bloomberg New Energy Finance has proclaimed that ‘solar is king of Indian renewables’. Add the completion of the world’s largest solar plant to these accolades and you have a good indicator of the South Asian giant’s ambitions. Even India’s biggest oil, steel and mining companies are getting on board the solar rush.

UPDATED: The minimum import price (MIP) for solar products being sold into the EU will drop significantly in 2017, according to official correspondence seen by PV Tech.

The European Commission has proposed the extension of existing trade duties on Chinese solar products for a further two years.

A group of 22 MEPs have called on the European Commission to end the minimum import price (MIP) agreement and the punitive trade duties currently placed on Chinese cells and modules.

JinkoSolar, JA Solar, Risen Energy, Wuxi Suntech and Sumec (Phono Solar) have been withdrawn from the EU’s Minimum Import Price (MIP) undertaking by the European Commission.

The US has once again come out on top after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rejected a challenge by India in favour of its domestic content requirements (DCR).

SolarWorld has issued a defiant statement in response to it being ordered to pay damages amounting to US$763.5 million.

The European Commission has warned China that it will reassess the future of the minimum import price (MIP) if a pattern of breaches continues.