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The US finalizes new obligations regarding the import of solar from four Southeast Asian countries

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The Commerce Department said solar power companies from four countries have received subsidies from the Chinese communist regime.

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on Monday it plans to impose up to 3,521% of solar imports from four Southeast Asian countries to curb unfair trade practices.

The move follows a complaint filed last year by a US manufacturer claiming that a Chinese-owned solar cell manufacturer operating in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam has dumped solar products into the US market at unfairly low prices, causing serious injuries to the US solar system.
In a statement, the department said the investigation into the imports of crystalline solar cells (the key component of solar panels) showed that companies from four countries have received subsidies from the Chinese Communist regime.

“These are one of the first CVD (duty offset) surveys to positively identify businesses receiving cross-border subsidies,” he said.

The tariffs announced on Monday vary widely by company and country. Among the companies affected by tariffs are Jinko Solar, Trina Solar and Solar Long PV Technology, which are linked to Chinese companies.

The combination of dumping and offsetting operations for Malaysia’s Jinko Solar products was the lowest at 41.56%. Rival Trina Solar products from its business in Thailand face 375.19% tariffs, according to the department’s final mandate decision.

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Cambodian products will face more than 3,521% of their duties as producers choose not to cooperate with the US investigation.

Tariffs still require approval from the International Trade Commission. The International Trade Commission must issue a final injury decision until June 2nd. If the committee rules negatively, no orders will be issued, the department said.

The US Alliance for the US Solar Power Trade Commission, a coalition of US solar manufacturers leading the incident, hailing the final mandatory decision as a “decisive victory” for the US solar industry.

Tim Brightville, the council’s chief attorney, said the department’s decision confirms that “China-led solar companies are tricking the systems, covering US companies, and making their living for American workers.”

“Enforcing our trade laws is not just a legal issue, it is essential to rebuild our industrial base, ensuring energy independence and protecting American work,” Brightville said in a statement.

The final decision imposed a sudden taxation of around 60 countries identified as the “worst criminal” in the US trade imbalance amid President Donald Trump’s move to impose a minimum of 10% tariff on all trading partners.

The Trump administration later gave most countries a 90-day suspension, except for China, but China faced tariffs of up to 245% on imports into the US “as a result of retaliatory actions.”

After Trump announced a 145% tariff on all Chinese imports, China increased tariffs on US imports to 84-125%. The Chinese administration also halted exports of certain rare earth metals to the United States as part of its retaliation measures.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing the declaration at the White House's oval office on April 17, 2025 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing the declaration in the White House’s oval office on April 17, 2025. Get McNamee/Getty Images

Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on April 17 that Chinese officials contacted his administration to negotiate amid an ongoing customs war.

“I think we’re going to do business with China, or we’re going to do business anyway because we’re setting a certain goal.

In August 2023, the Ministry of Commerce discovered that certain Chinese solar power plants would ship products for minor processing through Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam to avoid tariffs applied to Chinese imports.
American columnist and author Gordon Chan said Trump’s tariffs would close that loophole and prevent other countries from helping China bypass them.
“China is very good at avoiding that. What we talked about is not just fraudulent bills of lading, but also building plants in other countries, then manufacturing them and shipping them to the US,” Chang said in an April 7 interview with the Epoch Times.

Jacob Berg and Reuters contributed to this report.



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