Attorneys advising a group of U.S. solar manufacturers said it filed petitions requesting federal investigations into Chinese firms circumventing tariffs by manufacturing in other countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The group — called the American Solar Manufacturers Against Chinese Circumvention — filed the petitions with the US Department of Commerce, according to Wiley Rein LLP, a Washington DC law firm advising the companies. Spokespersons for the department didn’t immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent outside of normal working hours.
Chinese firms dominate the manufacture of photovoltaic panels, which is a multi-step process often done in separate factories that can be located in different provinces or even countries. Several companies have opened plants in other nations in recent years for the last stage, assembling the solar modules.
