BEIJING–More than 13,000 workers from China’s four largest solar-panel companies will assemble at factories across the country Thursday to protest against an anti-dumping complaint filed with the European Union against Chinese solar-product exports, officials from some of the companies told Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday.
Employees at Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co. (YGE), Trina Solar Ltd. (K3KD.SG), Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) and Suntech Power Holdings Co. (K3ND.SG) are expected to stop work in at least seven factories for an hour-long demonstration against the complaint filed by Germany’s SolarWorld AG (SWV.XE) and others last week.
The complaint seeks import tariffs on Chinese-made panels and accuses Chinese panel-makers of receiving illegal subsidies and dumping goods.
“If an anti-dumping tariff materializes, it will hurt Chinese workers and threaten more than 300,000 jobs. We urge the government to begin official talks with parties in the EU to prevent an investigation and to protect the rights of Chinese solar companies,” Canadian Solar spokeswoman Shen Yangzi said.
China exported $35.8 billion worth of solar panels in 2011, with 60% going to the EU, the world’s largest market for solar panels.
“We don’t want to protest, yet if our jobs are at stake we have to express our thoughts against a trade war,” a Yingli spokesman said.
China is also locked in a clean energy trade dispute with the U.S., which has imposed a mix of provisional anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties on Chinese-made solar equipment and towers used in wind farms.
