China is to extend a probe into imports of European polysilicon, used for making solar panels, by six months, the Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, citing the "complicated circumstances" of the case.
Solar panels were at the centre of a trade dispute earlier this year between China and the European Union after the EU decided to impose anti-dumping duties on panels made in China.
Beijing had been considering its own duties on polysilicon imported from Europe as part of the dispute, as well as duties on imports of the material from the United States and South Korea, to protect its domestic solar producers.
In July, it went ahead with duties on U.S. and South Korean polysilicon but did not act on European imports while talks on the broader trade dispute were ongoing.
China and the EU resolved the broader dispute later in July, although some EU solar makers have challenged the resolution in court.
The probe into imports of European polysilicon would be extended until May 1, 2014, the ministry statement said without elaborating.
