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SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details 3)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012
Prepaid land use right
Period over which land use rights are charged to earnings	50 years
Power purchase agreement
Intangible assets
Amortization period	20 years
Technical know-how
Intangible assets
Amortization period	10 years
Computer software | Minimum
Intangible assets
Amortization period	1 year
Computer software | Maximum
Intangible assets
Amortization period	10 years

X

- Definition

Represents the period over which land use rights are charged to earnings in accordance with the term of the land use right agreement.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	csiq_LandUseRightTerm
Namespace Prefix:	csiq_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	csiq_PrepaymentForLandUseRightsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	csiq_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FiniteLivedIntangibleAssetsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Useful life of finite-lived intangible assets, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FiniteLivedIntangibleAssetUsefulLife
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration