The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is proposing tariffs as high as 3,500% against solar panels imported from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The levies stem from an investigation launched by the Biden administration in early 2024, after a coalition of U.S. solar manufacturers alleged that Chinese companies with factories in Southeast Asia were undercutting the industry with panels priced well below market value, on the strength of unfair subsidies from the Chinese government.
The tariffs proposed by the Department of Commerce vary depending on the company and country, ranging from 41.2% against Jinko Solar's products from Malaysia, to 375% against Trina Solar's panels made in Thailand. Panels coming from Cambodia — where producers refused to cooperate with the U.S. probe — would be subject to the highest duties at 3,500%.
Initially, the DOC had set rates far lower when it released its preliminary proposal in October 2024, with tariffs as low as 2.85% for panels coming from Vietnam, to 23% at the higher end for Thailand. At the time, analysts at KeyBanc Capital Markets described the preliminary rates as "so low as to be meaningless." With the DOC now having finalized its proposal, it will next need approval from the U.S. International Trade Commission, which is expected to reach a decision sometime in June.
