China's first national-level solar trade association has been set up as countries including the US, Australia and India launch tariff investigations into imports of Chinese PV cells and modules.

The China Photovoltaic Industry Association, comprising more than 150 photovoltaic member companies including Yingli, Canadian Solar, GCL and JA Solar is the latest response to antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations initiated by the US.

Gao Jifan, chairman and CEO of Trina Solar, a major solar panel maker in China, who was elected the first president of the non-profit association, said its aim is to promote a fair and sound trade environment for Chinese solar makers.

"China, an emerging market for solar products, which accounts for 30 percent of the global market, needs a national trade institution to create a joint effort to cope with international competition and prevent trade conflict," he said.

Last year China added a record 12GW of solar power installation, an increase of 166.7 percent on the previous year. This is more than the volume of annual installation in any country, making China the largest solar market in the world, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

China is targeting up to 14GW of additional solar capacity this year, 60 percent of which will be focused on roof-top installations rather than large-scale projects.

Yang Xueshan, vice minister of industry and information technology, who was named honorary director of the new association, said it will cover 27 provinces.

lvchang@chinadaily.com.cn