China-U.S. trade war would hurt California

Posted:  10/23/2012 7:52 PM

Jigar Shah is the president of the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE) and the founder of SunEdison, a solar energy services company with offices in Sacramento, San Clemente (Orange County) and Ontario (San Bernardino County)

When the International Trade Commission issues its final decision next month on whether U.S. solar cells manufacturers have been harmed by imports from China, the stakes will be high for California's economy.

With the Commerce Department having approved tariffs of up to 250 percent on Chinese-made silicon photovoltaic cells, the International Trade Commission still can slow the slide to a mutually destructive trade war that would hurt California. A trade war with China would not be beneficial for the U.S. solar industry.

As the largest exporting state to Asia, California exported $14.2 billion in goods and services to China in 2011. Last year, more than 28 percent of California-made computer and electronic parts were exported to China.

With its historic relationship with Asia and its trade agreement with China, San Francisco has a lot to lose.

To read the entire article go to: http://m.sfgate.com/sfchron/db_106687/