KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is among four Southeast Asian countries to be slapped with new US duties for solar imports that range up to over 3,500% depending on country.
The new tariffs were finalised by US trade officials Monday after a year-long trade dispute case where American solar manufacturers accused Chinese companies of flooding the market with cheap solar products made in Southeast Asia, news wires reported.
The tariffs vary according to company and country, with a “country-wide” rate for Malaysia set at 34.4%, according to Bloomberg.
For Chinese solar companies in Vietnam, the tariff is as high as 395.9%, and in Thailand, 375.2%.
Solar products made in Cambodia face the steepest tariffs, of up to 3,251%.
As an example of how the tariff can vary according to country, solar products made by Jinko Solar in Malaysia face a 41.56% tariff, while products exported to the US by the same company in Vietnam are slapped with 245% tariff.
Trina Solar in Thailand faces a 375.19% tariff, but in Vietnam, a more than 200% tariff.
In the case, the petitioner group, the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, had accused Chinese solar panel makers with factories in Southeast Asian countries of exporting to the US products at unfairly cheap prices to render American-made goods uncompetitive.
“This is a decisive moment for American manufacturing. We are confident that they (tariffs) will address the unfair trade practices of the Chinese-owned companies in these countries, which have been injuring the US solar manufacturing industry for far too long,” said lawyer for the petitioner group, Tim Brightbill, according to Reuters and Bloomberg.
The levies will be in addition to new widespread tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump that have caused market and supply chain chaos.
The US imported US$12.9 billion in solar equipment last year from the four countries that would be subject to the new duties, according to Bloomberg. – April 22, 2025