The US decision to approve steep duties on Chinese-made solar panels could cost American exporters a growing market, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said yesterday, adding that he didn't want a trade war.

The US International Trade Commission voted last week in favor of duties from 23.75 percent to about 250 percent, ruling that a flood of cheap solar panels from China had hurt US-based manufacturers. Similar cases are under way in Germany.

China has struck back by launching an investigation into imports of solar-grade polysilicon from the United States and South Korea, and warned of action against European polysilicon.

"If you say I bought your equipment and raw materials but now that I'm shipping my products you want to pop on a 249 percent tariff, fine then. But why should I buy any more of your materials or equipment?" Chen told reporters on the sidelines of the 18th Communist Party Congress.

China's solar product manufacturers import more than US$6.3 billion worth of equipment from the US and billions of dollars of raw materials from many other countries, he added.