Canada Investigating Chinese Solar Product Dumping

06/02/2015 12:00 - 541 Views

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal has determined that there is a reasonable indication of injury to Canada's domestic industry from Chinese solar panels, which it said are being sold at below market prices, known as "dumping," with the Chinese industry potentially propped up by subsidies.

The CITT's inquiry was conducted pursuant to the Special Import Measures Act as a result of the initiation of investigations by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The CBSA will now continue its investigations and, by March 5, 2015, will issue its preliminary determinations.

If the CBSA determines that there is a case to be answered, the CITT will then be able to conduct a full investigation and make a final decision on whether anti-dumping duties (ADs) and countervailing duties (CVDs) should be imposed.

The Canadian investigation into imports of Chinese solar panels was instigated following complaints from four Canadian solar product manufacturers in December 2014.

However, as in previous investigations against Chinese solar imports in the European Union (now resolved) and the United States (still ongoing), the prospect of ADs and CVDs is looked on differently by the two sides of the solar industry in Canada. While manufacturers have complained of their loss of sales and jobs due to the effect of lower priced imports, the solar installation industry is concerned about the possible effects of increased product prices on their costs and, consequently, on market demand.

Source: Tax News