The Chinese solar energy industry has uttered a sigh of relief, as it is excluded from the Section 301 product list, publicized by the USTR (Office of the United States Trade Representative) on April 3, meaning that the Sino-U.S. solar-energy trade will still proceed under existing antidumping and countervailing duties, plus Section 201 regulations.
The Section 301 list (https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Releases/301FRN.pdf ) covers 1,300 product items, including LED, panel, power-generation equipment, metal products, communications products, and transportation equipment, export of which from China to the U.S. will be subject to additional tariffs. The publication of the list removes the concern of Chinese inverter manufacturers (Huawei, Sungrow, Ginlong, GoodWe, and Growatt) for possible coverage of the product under the electromechanical equipment category of Section 301.
This means that China-made solar-energy products will not have to face new trade barriers other than existing antidumping and countervailing duties and blockages related to Section 201.
Moreover, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, and hot dip galvanizing zinc, major materials for PV components, are also not covered by the list. Since stainless steel is too heavy, PV components most employ aluminum alloy 17mm or thicker, while the Section 301 list covers only aluminum alloy products (76011030 – 83021030) which are 0.22 mm thick.
Source: pv.energytrend
