As China vows once again to tackle solar panel oversupply, will this time be different?
Minister tells industry representatives that “disorderly low-price competition should be comprehensively addressed”
China has vowed to reduce excessive competition and oversupply in its solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, which is continuing to explore global markets.
Industry and Information Technology Minister Li Lecheng told 14 representatives from solar PV manufacturers and industry associations on Thursday that the “industry must be governed in accordance with laws and regulations, and disorderly low-price competition should be comprehensively addressed”, the ministry said in a statement released after their meeting in Beijing.
“Companies should be guided to improve product quality, promote the orderly phase-out of outdated production capacity, and achieve healthy and sustainable development,” Li said.
On Tuesday, at a meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, the country’s top economic decision-making body, President Xi Jinping took aim at “disorderly low-price competition” and ordered the removal of excess industrial capacity.
At Thursday’s meeting with Li, PV industry representatives talked about the difficulties they faced in production, innovation and competition, and offered suggestions for possible policy support, the ministry said.
Li urged those present to have a “comprehensive and objective view of the development landscape of the photovoltaic industry” to “further consolidate and enhance” China’s advantages in the industry.