美国东部时间2017年5月23日，美国国际贸易委员会发布公告，称应国内光伏企业Suniva申请，对全球光伏电池及组件发起保障措施调查（“201”调查）。公告称，由于案情复杂，将延期至30天至9月22日作出损害认定，并在11月22日前向总统提交调查报告。
 
        201保障措施是有别于反倾销反补贴调查的贸易救济措施，可能包括征收关税、实施最低限价和进口配额限制等类别。一旦美国总统认可国际贸易委员会在201保障措施调查中提出的建议并最终采取贸易救济措施，全球各国光伏企业对美的出口都将受到直接影响。
 
        对此，中国光伏行业协会、中国循环经济协会可再生能源专业委员会、中国可再生能源学会光伏专业委员会对此表示高度关注，并担忧该项调查及其结论的公正性，是否对全球光伏产业的自由贸易产生不利影响，进而损害全球光伏行业健康发展。特此声明如下：
 
        一、中国光伏行业坚决反对滥用贸易救济措施的行为。个别企业意图利用贸易救济措施抵消其经营不当的损失，这是对贸易救济相关法律的滥用，是对光伏市场中的其他公平竞争企业的极大损害。实践证明，贸易保护并不能挽救因自身运营原因而缺乏市场竞争力的个别公司。
 
        二、美国国内光伏制造商的现有产能远不能满足本国市场需求。美国若对来自全球的光伏产品采取贸易保障措施，不仅将直接损害美国上下游企业、消费者以及数十万相关从业人员的利益，更会在全球范围内产生极大的负面影响。事实上，Suniva公司提出201保障措施申请，已受到美国光伏行业的联名反对，也受到多国光伏企业的明确反对。
 
        三、凭借可靠性、安全性、广泛性、长寿命、环保性、资源充足性等特点，光伏发电已成为最重要的可再生能源之一，有望成为未来全球电力供应的主要支柱，必将在能源体系变革中发挥巨大作用。美国若对来自全球的光伏产品采取贸易保障措施，不仅将妨害美国清洁能源推广进程，也将扰乱全球能源转型的正常发展。
 
        中国光伏行业一贯支持自由平等的国际贸易，反对滥用贸易救济调查。希望美国调查机关审慎、公平地处理本案，为全球光伏产业的合作发展创造稳定、可预期的市场环境。
       
        On May 23rd, 2017 (EDT), the United States International Trade Commission issued an announcement, claiming that it will conduct safeguard investigations (Section 201 investigations) on the global photovoltaic cells and modules upon receipt of a petition from Suniva, a U.S.-based photovoltaic manufacturer. The announcement said, due to the complexity of the case, the Commission will take up 30 additional days to September 22nd to make its injury finding, and transmit its report to the President before November 22nd.
 
        Section 201 is differentfrom other trade remedy measures such as anti-dumping and countervailing investigations. It may include actions involving imposing tariffs, setting price floors and import quota. Once the U.S. President approves the recommendations from the Commission in the Section 201 investigations and eventually imposes trade remedy measures, exports to the United States will be directly affected in photovoltaic enterprises all over the world.
 
        In this regard, China Photovoltaic Industry Association, Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association and China Renewable Energy Society PV Committee have accorded great importance to this case. We are worried about the fairness of the investigation and its decisions, and whether it would bring negative effect to the free trade of the global photovoltaic industry, thus jeopardize the healthy development of the whole industry. Hereby we declare as follows:
 
        First, China's photovoltaic industry resolutely opposes the abuse of trade remedy measures. Some companies intend to offset the losses from their improper management by requesting trade remedies. This is an abuse of trade remedies laws and will do great harm to other enterprises upholding fair competition in the photovoltaic market. Practice has proved that trade protections cannot save mismanaged companies which lacks market competitiveness.
 
        Second, the domestic photovoltaic manufacturers of the United States possess a production capacity that is far from meeting the domestic needs. If the United States takes trade protection measures against all photovoltaic products from other countries, these measures will not only bring losses to the US upstream and downstream enterprises, damage the interest of consumers and hundreds of thousands of relevant workers; but also generate a great negative impact in the global scope. Infact, the Section 201 petition filed by Suniva has received joint opposition from the photovoltaic industry of the United States and clear-cut opposition from photovoltaic enterprises of many other countries.
 
        Third, with features of reliability, safety, universality, durability, environmental-friendly and resource sufficiency, photovoltaic has become one of the most important renewable energy sources and is expected to become the main pillar of future global power supply. It will play a significant role in the revolution ofenergy system. If the United States takes trade protection measures against all photovoltaic products from other countries, these measures will not only hamper domestic promotion process of clean energy, but also disrupt the healthy development of the global energy transformation.
 
        China's photovoltaic industry always supports free and equal international trade, and opposes against the abuse of trade remedy investigations. The industry hopes that the United States investigation authorities will address this case with prudence and impartiality, to create a stable and predictable market environment for the cooperation and development of the global photovoltaic industry.