Joe Biden vetoes US lawmakers’ bid to reinstate Southeast Asia solar tariffs
- Congress sought to repeal waivers for panels from Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand amid fears that Chinese firms dodge US duties by making them there
- The president says the exemptions on these imports are needed as a ‘bridge’ while US manufacturing ramps up to supply domestic clean energy projects
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he has vetoed legislation passed by Congress that would repeal exemptions on American tariffs on imported solar panels from four Southeast Asian nations.
The waivers for duties on panels made in Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, granted by Biden in June 2022, are set to be in place for two years.
Biden said the waivers will create a “bridge” while US manufacturing ramps up enough to supply the domestic projects needed to achieve goals in fighting climate change.
Top clean energy trade groups, whose members rely on cheap imports to keep their costs low, support the exemption and praised Biden’s veto.
The waiver stemmed from a Commerce Department investigation last year that found that some major Chinese solar panel makers were trying to dodge US tariffs on their products by finishing them in Southeast Asian nations. Imports from the countries make up around 80 per cent of US solar panel supplies.