Summary Value of the solar product imports under investigation was more than $2.1 billion in 2013.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US trade panel on Wednesday cleared the way for import duties on solar products made in China and Taiwan, saying they were unfairly dumped into the US market.
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) said it had determined, after an anti-dumping investigation, that the solar products had been offered for sale in the US at below their market value, damaging the US solar sector.
The trade panel also said it concluded from a countervailing duty investigation that the two countries were unfairly subsidizing the same class of products. It did not immediately provide further details.
The decision by the independent federal government agency came a year after the Commerce Department launched the probes on imports of certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic products from China and Taiwan, another round in trade conflicts between the world s two largest economies.
At issue are imports of products that include crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell, module and panels, imported as separate components or integrated with other products.
The value of the solar product imports under investigation was more than $2.1 billion in 2013, with an estimated $1.5 billion in imports from China and $656.8 million from Taiwan, according to the Commerce Department.
The probe was requested by a large US solar manufacturer, SolarWorld Industries America Inc., of Hillsboro, Oregon.
Following the ITC decision, the Commerce Department is expected to announce the punitive duties it will impose by the end of January.
"Today s 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 US industry," said Mukesh Dulani, president of SolarWorld, in a statement.
