With public banking, for better or for worse, lending is politicized:

China hands ‘death sentence’ to 75% of solar cell makers

By Toru Sugawara

December 24 (Nikkei) — The Chinese government is pushing for a drastic shakeout of the country’s overcrowded solar cell industry, supporting only a quarter of players and practically telling the rest to get out of the business.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced a list of 134 producers of silicon materials, solar panels and other components of photovoltaic systems as meeting certain conditions, as measured by 2012 production, capacity utilization and technical standards.

In a sector said to have more than 500 companies, the ministry’s move means that three-quarters didn’t make the cut — including the core subsidiary of Suntech Power, which went bankrupt in March, and Jiangsu Shungfeng Photovoltaic Technology, Suntech’s startup rescuer.

These firms will not be able to get credit lines from financial institutions and thus will have a tough time borrowing, according to industry insiders. They will also no longer be eligible for refunds of export tariffs, a huge blow to companies that depend on overseas business. On the home front, it will be difficult for them to participate in state-run utilities’ auctions, sharply curtailing their opportunities to win orders.