The US Commerce Department has announced it is placing fresh tariffs on China’s wind power manufacturing industry

The move comes as officials from the US and China meet for economic talks, which will include discussion on how to overcome the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries.

The US has heightened tensions by imposing import duties of almost 50 per cent on some Chinese-made wind turbine towers.

The Commerce Department said the tariffs were necessary to counter Chinese government subsidies received by the manufacturers and to prevent selling below cost price, a practice known as "dumping".

The two administrations have clashed over clean energy products throughout 2012, with both reporting the other to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). China is also in a similar dispute with the EU over support for solar products.

China announced it will hand out 8.6bn yuan (£847m) in renewable energy subsidies as part of Beijing's drive to meet its target of cutting carbon emissions by 17 per cent per unit of gross domestic product as part of its latest five-year plan, which runs through to 2015.

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