US sets preliminary new duties on solar imports from Southeast Asia

The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday announced anti-subsidy countervailing duties on solar cells imported by companies from Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand.
According to a preliminary decision posted on Commerce’s web site, the agency calculated tariff rates of between 0.14 per cent and 3293.61 per cent, depending on the company, on solar cells from the four Southeast Asian nations. A final decision will be made next year.
The announcement is the first of two preliminary decisions Commerce will make this year in a trade case brought by Korea’s Hanwha Qcells, Arizona-based First Solar and several smaller companies seeking to protect billions of dollars in investments in U.S. solar manufacturing.