Aerial photo shows solar panels of Qingyang 100 mega watts photovoltaic power project in Qingyang, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 10, 2021.Photo: Xinhua

Chinese solar panel producer LONGi said on Thursday that the company's photovoltaic (PV) module shipment to the US is proceeding normally after a small volume of products were detained by US customs. 

Responding to media reports, for instance, by Bloomberg and PV-magazine claiming the company may become the next target of the US crackdown on Chinese solar products, the Chinese solar giant which has become increasingly essential amid a global green push stressed that there has been no major impact following the US government's hit on Chinese solar module imports. 

LONGi Green Energy Co, a Xi'an-based solar company, issued a statement on Thursday, stating that the US Customs has detained a total of 40.31 MW of LONGi modules exported to the US from October 28 to November 3, accounting for approximately 1.59 percent of the company's total export sales volume to the US in 2020. 

Moreover, the statement emphasized that LONGi's shipment to the US market is operating unaffected. 

The ban implemented by the Biden administration on Chinese solar products through Withhold Release Order (WRO) issued in June has yet to lead to any major adverse impact on the company's operations, LONGi said. It will continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of the order on the company's shipments to the US.

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, saying that LONGi may be the next solar panel maker to see products blocked at the US border prompted by allegations of human rights abuses in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region by citing Roth Capital Partners.

Ignoring repeated clarifications by the Chinese government and Chinese companies that have opened their doors to Western media outlets and investors, some continued the baseless accusations on "human rights abuses" in Xinjiang where produces around half of the world's polysilicon - the raw material for solar panels. 

China's Foreign Ministry urged the US on Thursday to immediately correct its mistakes, end unreasonable suppression on Chinese enterprises, and create the necessary conditions for the stable development of bilateral cooperation in addressing climate change, noting that China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

The US detaining of the PV module shipment from Chinese enterprises that allegedly use so-called "forced labor" reveals the US' sinister intention to undermine the development of Xinjiang, which will disrupt and damage the stability of the international industrial chain and global cooperation in addressing climate change, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Thursday. 

Wang said earlier that the US should stop asking China to reduce the use of coal while at the same time sanctioning Chinese PV companies.  

According to data from the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, the newly-installed solar capacity of the US only accounted for 14.8 percent of global capacity in 2020. 

"LONGi's sales reach to the world and does not rely on the sole market of the US too much," it said in the statement. 

The company has already implemented traceability management measures which can provide evidences proving the silicon raw materials used in its products withheld by the US customs comply with the US government regulatory requirements.

LONGi's share rose 1.65 percent at the Shanghai bourse on Thursday.   

Global Times