A group of US solar firms has welcomed proposals to lower the tariffs imposed on Chinese solar imports as “a step in the right direction” for the industry. The US Department of Commerce recently completed an administrative review of the 2012 solar tariff case affecting imports of solar cells from China. The tariff imposed levies of between 31 per cent and 250 per cent following complaints of dumping and illegal subsidies.
The move sparked an argument between the two nations at the World Trade Organisation, although China also fell foul of EU regulations until an ‘amicable solution’ was agreed in 2013.
The USA DoC also announced further steep rates on imports from China and Taiwan last month, closing a loophole that had allowed Chinese manufacturers to avoid the tariffs imposed in the earlier ruling by using cells made in Taiwan.
