国际英语新闻:Solar firms face "total eclipse" in the US

After going through trade disputes in the US and European Union markets, Chinese solar companies seem more prepared this time.

"The market always needs products with a good performance-to-price ratio. And most importantly, after going through the toughest conditions in the past two years, many of the survivors are returning to profitability," said Tony Liu, who manages a midsized original equipment manufacturer in Shanghai that focuses on solar panels.

Chinese solar exports to the US have fallen significantly since late 2012, when Washington approved anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on solar modules made of mainland-produced solar cells.

More than 100 Chinese companies have borne duties of about 31 percent since that ruling. Some pay duties exceeding 250 percent.

Shipments to what was once the Chinese industry's second-largest export destination have fallen in half to about 10 percent. They may fall even further if new tariffs are imposed, analysts said.

Chinese solar manufacturers are actively diversifying away from the US and EU markets to Japan, India and emerging economies such as South Africa.

And as China promotes renewable energy to combat air pollution and continuously raises the target for solar capacity, more companies are shifting emphasis to the domestic market.

Chen Huiqing, deputy director of the legal department of the China Chamber of Commerce of Machinery and Electronic Products, said the chamber has been holding meetings and organizing lawyers to handle the latest petition in the US.

But it's not time to make any public statement, since the US authorities haven't said whether they'll start an investigation, she added.