New Commerce Dept Report Finds Four Companies Cheated U.S. Law

Washington, D.C. — In response to a recent U.S. Department of Commerce report, which documented how four major solar panel manufacturers dodged U.S. trade laws by routing their products through Southeast Asian countries to evade U.S. tariff penalties imposed on solar equipment produced in China, the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement.

“We commend the Commerce Department’s thorough and objective review, which proved that four of the companies investigated were breaking U.S. law by shipping Chinese-made solar equipment to us from other countries to dodge the trade-cheating penalties against China,” said Lori Wallach, Director of Rethink Trade. “We urge President Biden to reconsider his decision to waive the penalties for two years against these cheating solar companies. That waiver was pushed by corporations that finance mass solar installation so as to maximize their profits by using dumped Chinese solar equipment even if it destroys U.S. solar manufacturing firms or is made by Uyghur forced labor. If U.S. companies are crushed by unfair Chinese imports for two years, the United States cannot improve the resilience of our economy, battle climate chaos by ensuring a reliable supply of green energy equipment, or deliver on the president’s promise that we will produce here the critical green energy innovations we develop here.”

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Learn more about Rethink Trade here.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.