JA Solar May Produce Outside China to Avoid U.S. Dumping Tariffs

JA Solar Holdings Co. (JASO), China’s largest solar-cell maker, may produce outside China to avoid U.S. anti-dumping tariffs.

The company will await a final decision from the U.S. Commerce Department on the tariffs, Chief Executive Officer Peng Fang said. The agency last month plans antidumping duties of 31 percent to 250 percent on Chinese solar manufacturers after ruling they sold products below cost.

The tariff “is based on a significant misunderstanding,” Fang said today at the Intersolar conference in Munich. “A trade barrier is not good for the U.S. because it will lead to much higher costs for customers.”

The comments highlight growing tensions between European and U.S. governments and the Chinese state over its aid for renewable-energy companies. Solarworld AG (SWV), Germany’s biggest panel-maker, expects an anti-dumping case to start against Chinese competitors in Europe this month after the German government said it may support such a move.

To contact the reporters on this story: Stefan Nicola in Berlin at snicola2@bloomberg.net; Gelu Sulugiuc in Copenhagen at gsulugiuc@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net