The United States plans to impose tariffs as high as 3,251% on solar panels imported from certain Southeast Asian countries. On Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department announced these new tariffs targeting companies in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Vietnam following a year-long investigation into allegations that Chinese subsidiaries were dumping cheap goods into the American market. The International Trade Commission, another U.S. agency, is expected to make its final decision in June regarding these tariffs, which were requested by U.S.-based solar panel manufacturers such as Arizona’s First Solar and Hanwha Qcells, a Korean company. Critics, including the Solar Energy Industries Association, argue that these tariffs could harm American solar manufacturers by increasing the cost of imported cells used in U.S.-assembled solar panels. Last week, the administration suggested that new tariffs could reach up to 245%. Chinese officials have retaliated with a 125% tariff on American goods. Among the affected companies, Jinko Solar, based in Malaysia, received the lowest U.S. tariff at 41%, while Trina Solar, a Chinese company manufacturing in Thailand, faced tariffs of 375%. Cambodian exporters, however, encountered the highest duties at 3,521% due to perceived non-cooperation with the U.S. investigation. Previously, President Joe Biden had declared a 24-month tariff exemption for solar panel products from these four countries in June 2022. In August 2023, the Commerce Department concluded that Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand violated U.S. trade rules by using Chinese-sourced materials without paying tariffs. — new from upi.com