GENEVA: China has sent the United States a demand for talks on compensation for steep US tariffs imposed on imported solar panels and washing machines, World Trade Organisation filings showed on Tuesday.

China said it was asserting its right as a major exporter to demand compensation, and said it believed the US measures broke numerous WTO rules. China’s move follows similar steps by Taiwan and South Korea.

Expansion in India

Meanwhile, Longi Solar Technology Ltd, one of China’s biggest makers of solar panels, said on Tuesday it will invest $309 million to expand manufacturing in India in a move to guard against what it complained is a rising threat of import controls in the United States and other markets.

The company’s announcement follows the Trump administration’s Jan 24 decision to impose an extra 30 per cent duty on imported solar modules. An Indian regulator says it is considering a “safeguard tariff” of 70pc on solar panels from China and Malaysia.

Chinese manufacturers do­m­inate global solar panel product. Their explosive gro­wth has helped to propel adoption of renewable ene­r­gy by driving down costs.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2018