The US on Monday announced its intention to impose tariffs of up to 3,521 percent on solar panels from Southeast Asia, a move aimed at countering alleged Chinese subsidies and dumping in the sector.
The tariffs on companies from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam would still need to be ratified at a meeting of the US International Trade Commission in June.
The decision unveiled comes after anti-dumping and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations were filed about a year ago by several US and other solar manufacturers.
Photo: AFP
The companies took aim at “unfair practices” that were said to have weighed on the US domestic solar market, particularly raising concern over Chinese-headquartered companies operating out of Southeast Asian countries.
While Monday’s move came after a year-long investigation, it follows on the heels of US President Donald Trump launching blistering trade wars through tariffs around the globe.
Trump’s tariffs, which have seen the White House impose high levies before suspending some of them to allow for negotiations, are aimed at reducing US trade imbalances.
However, the US Department of Commerce’s statement said the new recommended tariffs on solar cells were taking specific aim at “transnational subsidies.”
“In the CVD investigations involving Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, [the department] found that companies in each country were receiving subsidies from the government of China,” the statement said. “These are among the first CVD investigations wherein [the department] has made an affirmative finding that companies received transnational subsidies.”
The case was brought by Hanwha Qcells Co, First Solar Inc, Convalt Energy Inc and others.
For the duties to be finalized, the US International Trade Commission has until early June to make a final determination.
Among firms targeted were Chinese companies Jinko Solar Co (晶科能源) and Trina Solar Ltd (天合光能).
Products from Cambodia are set to face duties of up to 3,521 percent, the commerce department said.
Jinko Solar faced duties of 40 percent for exports from Malaysia and about 245 percent for goods from Vietnam.
Trina Solar in Thailand would see duties of more than 375 percent, and more than 200 percent for products from Vietnam.
If imposed, the new levies would come on top of the blanket 10 percent tariff imposed by Trump since early this month on products entering the US from most trading partners.
In 2023, the US imported US$11.9 billion in solar cells from the countries named in the latest action, official data showed.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
RSS