Chinese lose orders in shadow of trade friction

Guangzhou (CNS) -- Trade friction between the US and China has been constant this year. In March, a number of anti-dumping and countervailing investigations got underway in the US against a wide variety of Chinese products. At the Canton Fair on April 15 many Chinese enterprises expressed their concern about losing more orders in the US market.

Canton Fair, also known as the China Import and Export Fair, is a barometer of the trade sector.

"The exports of fluorescent brightener have began to slow down," said Tong Xiaoli, from Zhejiang Chemical Imports & Exports Co, "Our orders from US clients have been put aside due to an antidumping investigation, and there is no final conclusion yet."

On March 20, the US Minister of Commerce released a statement that it would impose a countervailing duty on Chinese PV companies, which was a heavy strike upon companies already performing sluggishly.

The PV company Sopray Energy Co, one of the companies under investigation, also took part in the fair. Lu Liping, an employee from its international sales department, said: "The profits in the solar energy industry are already slim, so if have to pay high duties, companies like ours will lose the ability to compete in the US market." Lu said they are actively exploring the Asian markets.

Liu Jianjun, spokesman for the fair, said they saw a decrease in order numbers and a lower transaction volume at the fair due to the current protectionism. Moreover, deals between Chinese companies and foreign buyers from developed countries are now mainly small or medium-sized while big orders have become scarce.