The US Commerce Department says overseas companies sold solar equipment goods in the US at unfairly low prices, prompting the government agency to propose expanding penalties on some Chinese imports.
Duties could reach as high as 165 percent for some Chinese producers and 44 percent for manufacturers in Taiwan, according to the Commerce Department. The tariffs will become permanent if the department confirms its initial finding that the companies dumped solar cells, panels and other equipment in the US and if a special US trade commission determines the practice hurts the US industry, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The anti-dumping case was brought by the US unit of Germany’s SolarWorld AG, which claims it has been hurt by dumping and unfair subsidies from China.
China said earlier this month it plans to levy tariffs that could exceed 50 percent on imports of US and South Korean solar-grade polysilicon, a key ingredient in solar panels. This escalation of the long-running solar panel trade dispute hurts the US polysilicon industry, which relies on China as its largest customer.