Chinese delegation talks solar with EU

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BEIJING, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The Chinese government acknowledged a delegation was sent to Brussels to speak with European officials about trade in solar panels.

The European Commission announced last week the start of a 15-month investigation to determine the extent of alleged dumping of Chinese solar goods into the EU market.

China exported around $26 billion worth of solar power components to the eurozone last year. Chinese-manufactured solar products account for 65 percent of the global market and dominate Europe in terms of exports.

A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce described the investigation as regrettable. Any move to restrict the sale of Chinese solar products would hurt both sides, the official Xinhua news agency reports from Beijing.

"We hope the EU adopt a cautious attitude when resorting to trade protection measures, and create conditions for cooperation and common development of the industry between both sides," a ministry statement read.

Industry ad hoc association EU Pro Sun in July filed a complaint stating solar power components imported from China into the European market were at prices below fair market value.