The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced that it plans to impose anti-dumping duties of up to 271% on photovoltaic products from Southeast Asia, given that solar products from these countries are sold in the U.S. market at prices below production costs. This plan has aroused doubts from the media and people in relevant countries.
According to the preliminary findings of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the proposed anti-dumping duties will apply to crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and their components imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, and the specific tax rates will vary from company to company. Solar cells and modules on the U.S. market mainly rely on imports from the above countries, accounting for about 80% of the total imports of such products in the United States.
The launch of this investigation was based on a petition submitted by the U.S. Solar Manufacturing Alliance Trade Committee in April this year. U.S. media pointed out that some foreign manufacturers and domestic renewable energy developers believe that the imposition of anti-dumping duties will bring unfair advantages to large-scale photovoltaic panel manufacturers in the United States, and will also increase the cost of solar projects.
Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at Beltai International University in Cambodia, believes that the imposition of anti-dumping duties on products from ASEAN countries lacks rationality. This move will not only fail to revitalize the U.S. domestic industry, but will cause U.S. importers and consumers to bear higher costs and suffer losses.
The U.S. Department of Commerce's final ruling on the trade investigation is expected to be announced in April next year, while the U.S. International Trade Administration plans to make a final ruling and announce relevant policies in June next year.