中美光伏产品竞争激烈 贸易战升级

The escalation of a trade war between the US and China over solar power components threatens to do serious damage to the American industry, its leading association has warned.

美国主要太阳能行业协会警告，美国和中国之间围绕太阳能发电组件的贸易战升级，可能对美国太阳能发电行业造成严重损害。

Hostilities rose with a missive issued by the China’s Ministry of Commerce to the United States on Sunday over its anti-dumping measures and counter investigations on Chinese solar products.

针对美国再次对中国光伏产品启动反倾销和反补贴调查，中国商务部周日向美方发出公函，双方的矛盾由此加深。

“China will closely follow the case, assess the impact on the Chinese solar sector and resolutely safeguard our interests through various mechanism,” the ministry said in a statement reported by its state media.

“中方将密切关注该案的进展，评估其对中国光伏业界造成的影响，坚决利用各种机制维权，”中国官方媒体援引商务部发表的声明称。

The ministry added that a probe into Chinese solar cells that opened in November 2011 did little to help improve the performance of the US solar industry.

中国商务部补充说，美方在2011年11月对中国光伏电池立案调查，事实证明并未帮助美国太阳能行业提升业绩。

The US commerce department said last week that it would investigate a complaint that Chinese manufacturers were using loopholes in import duties imposed in 2012 to continue selling at illegally low prices in the American market.

美国商务部上周表示，将调查一宗申诉，申诉内容是，中国制造企业正在利用2012年开征的进口关税中的漏洞，继续在美国市场以非法的低廉价格销售产品。

The Solar Energy Industries Association said that if the US went ahead with a new round of import duties hitting solar panels from China and Taiwan, it would cut off the supply of low-cost equipment that has been a critical factor in the industry’s rapid growth in recent years.

美国太阳能行业协会(Solar Energy Industries Association, SEIA)表示，如果美国对中国大陆和台湾输美的太阳能电池板开征新一轮进口关税，那将切断低成本设备的供应，而这种供应是美国太阳能发电行业近年快速增长的关键因素之一。

The association represents companies working on installing and maintaining solar power, as well as manufacturers. Many of its members have benefited from the influx of cheap Chinese panels that has helped solar power compete with fossil fuels.

该协会代表从事安装和维护太阳能发电设备的企业，也代表制造商。协会的许多成员受益于廉价的中国产太阳能电池板，这些电池板帮助太阳能发电与化石燃料展开竞争。

SEIA urged the government to reach a compromise with Chinese manufacturers that would allow continued imports while providing some relief for companies with US factories that have complained of illegal competition.

该协会呼吁美国政府与中国制造商达成妥协：允许继续进口，同时向那些在美国设有工厂、抱怨非法竞争的企业提供一些救济。

John Smirnow of SEIA said: “As the conflict escalates, the threat to the industry grows.”

美国太阳能行业协会的约翰•斯墨尔诺(John Smirnow)说：“随着冲突升级，行业面对的威胁在加大。”

US imports of Chinese polysilicon photovoltaic cells – the components that are assembled into panels – face two sets of duties: one because manufacturers were selling at prices less than their costs, and one because they had benefited from subsidies from the Chinese government.

美国进口的中国产多晶硅光伏电池（太阳能电池板组件）须面对两套关税：一套是因为厂家的销售价格低于其成本，另一套是因为厂家获益于中国政府的补贴。

SolarWorld, a German company that owns a large solar panel factory in Oregon, in December filed a complaint that Chinese companies had been able to avoid the tariffs by using cells made in Taiwan, while keeping the rest of their manufacturing in China.

在美国俄勒冈州拥有一家大型太阳能电池板工厂的德国公司SolarWorld，在去年12月提交一份申诉，称中国企业通过使用台湾制造的光伏电池、在中国大陆完成其余制造工序，仍可避免关税。

The commerce department is now investigating whether photovoltaic cells from Taiwan are being dumped – sold at a below-cost price – in the US, and whether other solar products from China are being dumped or benefiting from government subsidies.

美国商务部正在调查来自台湾的光伏电池是否构成在美国倾销（以低于成本的价格销售），以及来自中国的其他光伏产品是否构成倾销或受益于政府补贴。

The import duties from 2012 so far have not had a very significant effect on the US market, analysts say, because of Chinese companies’ ability to use cells from Taiwan. The price of panels, which had been in free fall, levelled out last year, but that was a global phenomenon caused by the loss of some Chinese capacity and increased demand in China and Japan.

分析师们表示，2012年起征收的进口关税迄今并未在美国市场产生非常显著的效果，因为中国企业能够利用台湾产的光伏电池。此前价格直线下落的太阳能电池板去年企稳，但这是一个全球现象，原因是中国失去一些产能，以及中国和日本需求增加。

Chinese manufacturers’ share of the US market fell, but only modestly: from 57 per cent in 2012 to 49 per cent in 2013, according to GTM Research.

业内咨询机构GTM Research的数据显示，中国制造商在美国市场所占份额小幅下降：从2012年的57%降至2013年的49%。

However, if the commerce department finds that there has been illegal competition from the Taiwanese cells and levies a new set of duties, the impact is expected to be much more serious.

但是，如果美国商务部调查发现来自台湾的光伏电池构成非法竞争，并据此开征一套新的关税，预计影响将会严重得多。

Shayle Kann of GTM Research said: “This time, there is no value chain strategy that would let the Chinese companies avoid these duties.”

GTM Research的谢勒•卡恩(Shayle Kann)表示：“这一次，中国企业将没有规避这些关税的价值链战略可以利用。”