China's solar panel makers explore options as Washington sets tariffs for Southeast Asia
With American trade officials having finalised steep
tariffs on solar cell imports from Southeast Asia, Chinese solar manufacturers have been tapping more regions for factory plans in a bid to secure alternative shipping routes to the US.
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But erratic tariff policies from US President Donald Trump this year have added to the uncertainties of any long-term investment plans, according to industry insiders.
On Monday, the US Department of Commerce announced its final affirmative determinations in the year-long anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on solar cells and modules from four countries in Southeast Asia, with rates broadly higher than the preliminary levels announced last year.
Manufacturers such as Zhejiang-based Hounen Solar would face combined dumping and countervailing duties of more than 3,500 per cent for products made in Cambodia, according to the announcement.
Combined duties on some Chinese companies' factories in Thailand would be near 1,000 per cent. Some Vietnam-based plants would see tariffs exceed 800 per cent. And some in Malaysia would also face levies as high as 250 per cent.
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Southeast Asia has become a major destination for Chinese solar firms transferring production capacity overseas in recent years – seen as an attempt to bypass US tariffs on direct imports from China.
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