Malaysia to feel the pinch from new US solar tariffs

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia, along with several Southeast Asian countries, is expected to be subjected to new US tariffs on solar cell and panel imports.

According to a report by Reuters on Monday (April 21), United States (US) trade officials finalised steep tariff levels on most solar cells from Southeast Asia - a key step towards concluding a year-old trade case in which American manufacturers accused Chinese companies of flooding the market with unfairly cheap goods.

The trade case was initiated in 2024 by South Korea’s Hanwha Qcells, Arizona-based First Solar Inc, and several smaller producers seeking to protect billions of dollars in investments in US solar manufacturing, according to Reuters.

Reuters also reported that the petitioner group, the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, accused big Chinese solar panel makers with factories in Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam of shipping panels priced below their cost of production and of receiving unfair subsidies that make American goods uncompetitive.

The tariffs unveiled on Monday vary widely depending on the company and country, but were broadly higher than the preliminary duties announced late last year, added Reuters.

Combined dumping and countervailing duties on Jinko Solar products from Malaysia were among the lowest at 41.56 per cent, while Rival Trina Solar's products from its operations in Thailand face tariffs of 375.19 per cent, the report stated.

The US Commerce Department has not yet published a detailed breakdown of the final tariff rates. - BERNAMA