US to Impose Tariffs of Up to 3,521% on South East Asian Solar Panel Imports

The US Commerce Department has announced plans to impose tariffs of up to 3,521 per cent on imports of solar panels from four South East Asian countries.

It comes after an investigation that began a year ago when several major solar equipment producers asked the administration of then-President Joe Biden to protect their US operations.

The proposed levies – targeting companies in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam – are in response to allegations of subsidies from China and the dumping of unfairly cheap products in the US market.

A separate US government agency, the International Trade Commission, is due to reach a final decision on the new tariffs in June.

The countervailing and anti-dumping duties, as these tariffs are known, vary according to companies and the countries where their products are made.

Some solar equipment exporters in Cambodia face the highest duties of 3,521 per cent because of what was seen as a lack of cooperation with the Commerce Department investigation.

Products made in Malaysia by Chinese manufacturer Jinko Solar faced some of the lowest duties of just over 41 per cent.

Another China-based firm, Trina Solar, faces tariffs of 375 per cent for the products it makes in Thailand.