The U.S. Department of Commerce decided at the end of March to launch anti-dumping and countervailing investigations on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules imported from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, according to the Trade Defense Agency of Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade. The purpose of the investigation is to determine whether the above-mentioned four countries use components from China to manufacture solar cells and modules and export them to the United States, whether it constitutes evasion of anti-dumping and countervailing duties against China's solar cells and modules.
Currently, the United States imposes 15.85%-238.95% anti-dumping duties and 11.97%-15.24% countervailing duties on solar panels imported from China. In February 2022, the United States decided to extend the global trade remedy measures for solar panels until 2026, with a tax rate of 14.75% for the first year and a decrease of 0.25 percentage points every year thereafter.
Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade called on relevant companies to pay close attention to the progress of the investigation and cooperate with the US investigation agency to clarify the situation and safeguard their rights and interests.
According to statistics from the General Administration of Vietnam Customs, from January to August 2021, Vietnam exported a total of US$2.9 billion worth of solar modules to the United States. Previously, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam has included solar panels on the list of high-risk products facing trade remedy investigations several times. In May 2021, India also launched an anti-dumping investigation against solar panels imported from Vietnam.