Trump Hits Southeast Asian Solar Panels With Tariffs as High as 3,521%

Under President Trump’s tariff-happy administration, no industry is being spared. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Commerce finalized hefty tariffs on solar panel cells imported from Southeast Asia in a supposed effort to stop China from cheating. In a press release, the department stated that the tariffs would target Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The exact percentage varies depending on the country. For example, Malaysian products from Jinko Solar will see tariffs of 41.56 percent, and Trina Solar in Thailand will see 375.19 percent. Cambodia, however, will face duties at a whopping 3,521 percent because it didn’t cooperate with U.S. investigations. This decision is an update to a case brought last year by the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, which accused China of “dumping” inventory. In short, the group claimed that Chinese companies with factories in Southeast Asia were receiving subsidies from China to ship solar panels below their product ... Read full article.