The US Department of Commerce United States announced on Monday (21) tariffs of up to 3.521% on solar energy equipment imported from four Southeast Asian countries: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.
The initiative is the result of a commercial investigation that lasted about a year and was motivated by complaints from North American manufacturers, such as Hanwha Qcells and First Solar.
The companies claim that Chinese solar panel manufacturers have transferred part of their production to these four countries in order to circumvent existing tariffs on direct imports from China.
The US department understood that this movement allowed Chinese companies to benefit from illegal subsidies and carry out a practice in the United States known as dumping – which would be the sale of products at prices artificially lower than those practiced by the market.
Despite the announcement, the decision on the future of these new tariffs is not yet completely closed. The final verdict will be up to the ITC (International Trade Commission, in its English acronym) of the United States, which must pronounce itself by the first week of June.
The new tariffs on solar equipment are expected to vary depending on the country and the level of cooperation of companies with the U.S. government investigation. Exporters from Cambodia, for example, are expected to face the highest rates, reaching 3.521%.
The new taxes will also be added to the tariffs that have been in force since the Donald Trump administration, when rates of up to 145% were applied to Chinese products.
In 2023 alone, the United States imported more than $12 billion worth of solar equipment from the Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, according to data from Bloomberg.
Market reaction
The move announced this week was met with enthusiasm by groups representing the U.S. solar industry.
A American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, who played a central role in requesting the investigation, considered the announcement a great achievement.
On the other hand, there are criticisms that the tariffs could raise costs for American companies and consumers by making solar equipment more expensive for small, medium and large plants.
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