Kuala Lumpur, April 24 – The United States government has introduced new import duties to solar modules from Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. They accused these countries of benefiting from Chinese subsidies and operating unfair pricing practices.
For Malaysia, this leads to a flat -rate importance of 34.4 percent, with certain companies having even higher prices. However, the tariffs are waiting for the approval of the US International Commerce Commission, with a final decision awaited by June 2.
So far we know the following about the new solar imports:
How it started
The solar panel tariff is part of a pattern that started last year.
On October 1, 2024, the United States imposed a flat rate of nine percent for solar cell imports from Malaysia, which is 14 percent of its total solar cell imports. Specific companies had tasks in the range from 3.4 to 123.94 percent.
These measures result from trade voltages that result from the US China trade war, and correspond to the broader efforts of the bidet administration to strengthen domestic solar manufacturers as part of the inflation reduction law.
This time, however, Malaysia can do better than Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, since his tariffs are comparatively lower. The US Ministry of Trade indicated that import duties in the region could increase up to 3,521 percent.
Why target Malaysia?
Malaysia is an important player in the Southeast Asian solar panel manufacturing sector.
According to the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), exports for the Malaysian solar products in 2024 RM37.4 billion RM reached RM 12.5 billion or 33.4 percent that were delivered to the USA.
The new tariffs follow a US investigation, which is triggered by concerns of American solar companies about foreign competitions that affect their market share. These measures aim to make imported solar collectors more expensive and instead to promote domestic production.
Economic effects on Malaysia
The tariffs could significantly influence Malaysia's economy and possibly disrupt foreign investments and occupational safety.
The President of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturer, Tan Sri Sri Lai, told Bernama that Malaysia's role as a key center in the global solar supply chain was at risk, with potential disorders of production and investment plans.
“Fabrics can be forced to expose production, delay or change expansion to avoid penalty -cost printing,” he said.
For example, Risen Energy CO entered the Malaysian market with a planned investment of 42 billion RM over 15 years. However, these tariffs could force companies to rethink such long -term obligations.
Several manufacturers of Solar Panel in Malaysia in Chinese property, including Jinko Solar Co, Risen Energy Co, and yes Solar Technology Co, which together were almost 40 percent of Malaysia's solar production capacity, there were considerable challenges according to the tariff hikes last year.
China supported companies such as Jinkosolar Holding Co Ltd and Baojia New Energy were also affected with specific tariff rates that tighten the trade voltages.