Chinese solar companies struggle for survival IBUonline is a B2B foreign trade platform which offers comprehensive foreign

trade services to China suppliers and international buyers. IBU turned its eyes on China solar industry. Chinese solar companies will have to compete for quotas to export to the European Union and struggle to survive at minimum prices, following the bilateral settlement of one of the biggest trade disputes in the world, industry insiders said. The European Commission said on Friday that it endorsed a negotiated settlement with China that sets a minimum price and a volume limit on EU imports of Chinese solar panels through the end of 2015. Chinese manufacturers that participate will be spared EU duties meant to counter alleged dumping activities. The Xinhua News Agency quoted sources who took part in the negotiations as saying the agreement fixes a minimum price of 56 euro cents (74 US cents) a watt for annual imports from China of as much as 7 gigawatts. Zhang Longgen, chief financial officer of Jiangxi Jinko Solar Co Ltd, a leading solar manufacturer, said the result was better than expected. According to Zhang, exports to Europe this year will reach about 400 to 500 megawatts and take up 20 to 30 percent of the companys total sales, which will be as expected. The terms of the agreement will definitely affect sales and profits, he said, but had there been no settlement, the anti-dumping duties would have been disastrous for Chinese solar companies. The EC had decided earlier that lacking an agreement. a 47.6 percent punitive duty was to start as of Tuesday, and it would apply to about 130 Chinese producers that cooperated in the investigation. IBU thinks that there are obstacles affecting solar panels exporting to EU countries. IBU still takes a positive view on trade of solar panels.