The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) Friday determined that there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of solar panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam that are allegedly sold in the United States at less than fair value and subsidized by the producers' home governments.
As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the U.S. Department of Commerce will continue its investigations of imports, with its preliminary countervailing duty determinations due on or about July 18, 2024, and its preliminary antidumping duty determinations due on or about October 1, 2024.
Congressional lawmakers threw their support behind antidumping and countervailing duty petitions on solar products from four countries in advance of Friday’s vote by the International Trade Commission.
In two separate letters to Commerce Secretary Raimondo and ITC Chairman David Johanson, lawmakers from both chambers and both sides of the political aisle backed the petitions filed by the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee.
In a letter led by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and signed by 12 other Democratic lawmakers, the members urged a thorough review of Chinese companies with facilities in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Chinese solar producers are alleged to be using operations in the four countries to avoid paying tariffs imposed under an import safeguard measure.
“US solar workers and manufacturers are ready to compete on a level playing field, but leaving China’s cheating unaddressed puts thousands of American solar jobs and the domestic solar industry in jeopardy,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Careful consideration of all four countries in the petitions is a necessity, as a negativedetermination in one will lead Chinese-headquartered producers to shift production to that country. We support the Alliance’s AD/CVD petitions to give the U.S. solar industry its chance to shine.”
In a separate letter, led by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Republican lawmakers supported the petitions.
The lawmakers criticized President Biden for imposing a two-year moratorium on antidumping and countervailing duties on solar products from the four countries, saying it has “been disastrous and directing resulting in Chinese solar manufacturers with direct ties to the Chinese Communists Party dumping product in the United States without consequences for years.”
The Commission’s public report Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam; Inv. Nos. 701-TA-722-725 and 731-TA-1690-1693 (Preliminary), USITC Publication 5517, June 2024) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.
A copy of the preliminary determination is avaibale [HERE]
The report will be available by July 5, 2024; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website at: https://www.usitc.gov/commission_publications_library.
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