U.S. Commerce Department has ruled to slap countervailing duties retroactively to Chinese solar panels imported to the U.S. following a preliminary determination to impose anti-subsidy duties to these products.

The ruling means that if anti-subsidy duties were introduced, they will be retroactively applied to all Chinese solar panels that entered the U.S. since Dec. 3, 2011.

The U.S. Commerce Department is expected to reach a final decision on anti-subsidy duties on March 2 and on anti-dumping duties on March 27.

On Dec. 30, 2011, the U.S. Commerce Department said it saw solar panel imports from China drastically increasing in both volume and value from October to December that year, up over 15 percent compared to earlier from July to September.

China's business press carried the story above on Friday.

Contact the writer of this story at: yanp@china.org.cn.