Chinese solar companies on Thursday called for free trade and open competition in the global solar energy sector, saying U.S. antidumping tariffs would harm the sector's development and risked sparking a wider trade war in the sector.

"If the European Union and India were to follow suit, then we'd probably see a 'world war' over solar energy," said Dr. Shawn Qu, CEO of Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ), which has a strong manufacturing presence in China .

Qu joined a number of chief executives from Chinese solar companies speaking at a press briefing one week after the U.S. Commerce Department announced a preliminary decision to impose 31% antidumping duties on Chinese-made solar equipment. China responded at the time by saying the decision was "protectionist" and "unreasonable."

Earlier Thursday, China 's Ministry of Commerce signaled that it may retaliate against the U.S. tariffs. It said a Chinese investigation into U.S. government backing for six clean energy projects in that country had violated World Trade Organization rules and acted as barriers to trade.

The executives Thursday also expressed hope that the Chinese government would do more to promote the development and use of solar energy in China .

Among the companies represented at the news conference was Suntech Power Holdings Co. (STP), whose chief executive, Shi Zhenrong, said he expects China to become the world's largest solar energy market in the coming years, but that Beijing should do more to make it happen.

The U.S. tariffs and Chinese accusations come at a difficult time for the solar industry. A glut of manufacturing capacity, primarily in China , has driven prices, profits and share prices sharply lower. Several solar-panel makers have been forced to close, including U.S. company Solyndra LLC, which had received more than $500 million in U.S. government assistance.

At the same time, demand in the E.U., which in 2011 was the world's top market for solar equipment, has slumped due to the debt crisis, economic slowdown and reduced government spending.

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