The U.S. International Trade Commission for its votes this week determining that imports of solar products from China and Taiwan are injuring U.S. manufacturers. SolarWorld, a U.S. PV manufacturer which launched the first and the second phase of anti-dumping and countervailing investigations, applauds the final judgment. The commission voted 5-0 with regard to China and 4-1 with regard to Taiwan.
“The decision confirms the facts set out in our initial filing, the commission staff report and our testimony at the agency’s November hearing in the case. Manufacturers in China and Taiwan used illegal trade practices that harm the U.S. industry,” said Mukesh Dulani, U.S. president of SolarWorld. “U.S. companies, including SolarWorld, Suniva and Silicon Energy, thank the commission and its staff for its thorough investigation and fourth vote to uphold American trade laws.”
Dulani added, “American solar manufacturers have been doing their part by building or expanding facilities and hiring workers in states such as Oregon, Michigan, Ohio and New York. This additional capacity will help us meet the need in the market for American-made solar. Today’s votes will allow us to move forward with additional certainty and will likely mean additional investment and hiring in the future.”
“Although these second cases have come to an end, there is still much work to do,” Dulani continued. “We will continue to work with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to ensure that U.S. trade laws are thoroughly and effectively enforced to prevent circumvention. We also want to take this opportunity to thank those who stood with us throughout the cases. They include Sen. Ron Wyden, members of the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing and their more than 25,000 employees and, most importantly, the exceptional employees at SolarWorld, who have supported the company throughout both trade cases.”