The US hikes tariffs on solar products from Asia

Solar cells are joined unneurotic during accumulation astatine the SunSpark Technology Inc. manufacturing installation successful Riverside, California, U.S., connected Tuesday, April 3, 2018. | Photo: Getty Images

Solar cells from 4 Southeast Asian countries that person been large suppliers to the US are facing recently accrued tariffs, hiked up arsenic precocious arsenic 3,521 percent. 

The tariffs impact Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, which unneurotic accounted for much than 3 quarters of full module imports past year, according to Bloomberg. The tariffs fundamentally marque the products “unmarketable” successful the US, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The determination comes aft long-running Commerce Department investigations into whether Chinese companies were funneling products done Southeast Asia to debar tariffs and little prices. It besides heightens Donald Trump’s commercialized warfare with China aft roiling planetary markets with drastic tariff proposals this month. The president called a 90-day pause connected tariffs, excluding China. 

US star companies person been divided connected what to bash astir inexpensive star cells from Southeast Asia. Domestic manufacturers petitioned the Commerce Department to investigate, portion renewable vigor task developers are disquieted astir the tariffs raising costs for operation and the manufacturing of panels successful the US utilizing imported cells.

Cambodia refused to comply with the investigation, and got deed with the highest tariffs astatine 3,521 percent. Duties for companies successful Vietnam scope arsenic precocious arsenic 395.9 percent, 375.2 successful Thailand, and 34.4 for Malaysia. 

The US International Trade Commission inactive has to measurement successful connected the projected tariffs successful June to finalize them.