Economy

Trade council continues appeal against US probe into China's clean energy policies

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-17 17:28

BEIJING - A trade promotion council Wednesday stepped up its pressure against a US government investigation into China's green technology sector, calling on the US government not to ignore the huge potential of new energy cooperation with China.

Wan Jifei, head of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), made the appeal in a letter to US Trade Representative Ron Kirk Wednesday.

The CCPIT letter came about a month after the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) responded to claims by the United Steelworkers (USW) and initiated an investigation into China's green technology sector policies on October 15 to see whether they were in line with World Trade Organization rules.

The USW claims contended that certain policies and practices by China to stimulate and protect its clean energy industry were inconsistent with its WTO obligations.

"After a thorough analysis of cooperation in new energy between China and the United States, we found the launch of investigation by USTR under the Section 301 (of the 1974 Trade Act) will severely damage China-US cooperation in new energy," Wan said in the letter.

According to CCPIT statistics, a quarter of China's solar battery materials are imported from the United States; while 60 percent to 70 percent of solar battery production machines are also imported from overseas, the United States in particular.

The Chinese business community understood that some US companies in new energy sector were facing development difficulties against the backdrop of global financial crisis, Wan said.

"But they should overcome such difficulties through strengthening cooperation with China rather than wasting taxpayers' money on such an investigation and sanctions against foreign companies."

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Wan said China was cooperating with many US state governments and companies in the new energy and clean energy sector and greatly helping promote US exports to China.

He said CCPIT was willing to work with the US to negotiate in advance on possible economic and trade disputes and protect the utmost interests of companies from both countries.

"We hope the US government can handle the issue by not damaging the China-US economic and trade relations," he said.

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Wednesday in Beijing that the United States and China had launched a joint clean energy initiative to enable joint research and development of clean energy technologies, including carbon capture, electric vehicles and energy-efficient buildings. 

Under the initiative, $150 million of investment from private and public funding will be earmarked for teams of scientists and engineers from both countries collaborating over five years.