Chinese solar power companies have expressed regrets over new import duties theUnited States plans to levy on imported Chinese photovoltaic (PV) products.

Fan Zhenhua, legal director of Yingli Solar, the world's largest solar panel manufacturer, said: "The company regrets the US Department of Commerce's decision to levy punitive dutiesdisregarding Chinese firms' reasonable demands and opposition.

"The punitive anti-subsidy duties will not only affect Chinesefirms' reasonable expansion in the US, but also have anegative effect on the development of the US solar industry."

Yingli Solar, which is headquartered in the northern Chinesecity of Baoding, will coordinate with the government andindustry association to prepare an appeal against the duties,Fan said.

The US Department of Commerce on Tuesday made itspreliminary determination that it would levy anti-subsidy ratesof 18.56 percent to 35.21 percent on Chinese producers andexporters of crystalline silicon photovoltaic products.

Punitive duties will be imposed after both the CommerceDepartment and the US International Trade Commissionmade affirmative final rulings, which are scheduled on Aug18 and Oct 3, respectively.

It was the second US investigation against Chinese solar products after a similar one in 2012.

The investigation was made in response to the petition filed by SolarWorld Industries AmericaInc based in Oregon, which alleged that Chinese PV products were sold below the fair value withthe help of "improper" government subsidies.

Qu Xiaohua, chairman of Canadian Solar, said that Chinese solar firms have just walked out of atrough and once the punitive duties were levied, a large number of solar firms would go bankrupt.

For leading Chinese solar companies, the US market accounts for a significant share of theirglobal shipments and they could be badly affected, said Fan.

With the high duties, the companies could hardly maintainprofit margins and competitive edge, said Fan, adding thatthe US market accounts for one fifth of its global sales. Othercountries and regions might follow suit by making similarmoves and the global sales of Chinese solar firms could bebadly hit.

Even if the US and China agreed to a minimum price hikethrough negotiations like that with the EU, the strugglingChinese solar firms would still lose price competitivenessand be forced to retreat from the US market. The USaccounts for one tenth of China's PV product exports.

China's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday blasted theUS move as an abuse of trade remedy measures.

"US restrictions on Chinese products are an abuse of traderemedy measures and have a clear hint of tradeprotectionism. They will certainly worsen the Sino-US disputein PV trade," said the statement.

Resorting to frequent punitive measures will not help solve the endogenous problems of the USsolar industry, added the ministry.

"China hopes the United States can be prudent in dealing with the probe and terminate theinvestigation procedure as soon as possible with a view to promoting healthy competition in theglobal solar industry," it said.