The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will double tariffs on some solar panel components made in China.
Starting in January, Chinese solar wafer and polysilicon imports will be subject to a 50% tariff, up from the current 25% tariff. Polysilicon is a type of silicon used to make solar panels, and wafers are the semiconductors used in the panels.
Additionally, the administration announced that it would increase tariffs on certain Chinese products made from the mineral tungsten, which has applications in the aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, and oil and gas industries.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a written statement that the tariff hikes would hurt China while supporting U.S. investment.
“The tariff increases announced today will further blunt harmful policies and practices by the People's Republic of China,” she said.
“These actions will complement domestic investments made under the Biden-Harris Administration to promote a clean energy economy while increasing the resiliency of critical supply chains,” Tai said. added.
The Biden administration has previously taken other steps to raise tariffs on Chinese solar power and other equipment, saying it was to support domestic manufacturing.
More broadly, the administration has sought to encourage domestic manufacturing of climate-friendly energy sources, arguing that climate action and job growth are compatible.
Additionally, the Chinese government has discovered that forced labor is used in the production of Chinese-made polysilicon.
Groups representing U.S. solar manufacturers praised the administration's latest move but also called for more action.
“It is an important precedent that the 50% tariff will soon be applied to the entire solar module supply chain in China,” Mike Carr, executive director of the United Solar Energy Manufacturers Association (SEMA), said in a written statement. ” he said.
“But we will expand this approach to fundamentally help put American workers on a more level playing field and address the significant trade distortions by Chinese-owned solar companies located outside of China. “We need to go a step further,” he said.
