Exemption on customs duty for cells and modules in India widely expected to be lifted later in the year but there are still legal barriers to overcome, says Bridge to India.
José Rojo continues PV Tech’s end-of-year review with a look back at Q3 2019 highlights, from solar trade spats to Portugal’s head-turning tender, Tesla’s court woes and a solar-plus-storage bonanza.
Recent WTO meeting marks deepening of row with major Asian nations over US state-level PV incentives and safeguard measures including duty rates and trade quotas.
Beijing uses WTO meeting to slam tariffs Washington DC set last January for crystalline silicon PV imports, potentially paving way for fresh formal trade dispute.
Trump administration in fresh solar trade setback as appellate body maintains country failed to prove Beijing was subsidising specific firms before import duties were adopted.
Japan has called on India to immediately review its safeguard duty on imported solar cells to ensure that products that have different characteristics from solar cells are excluded from the measure.
Trade delegations from India and Taiwan have failed to reach an agreement in a dispute regarding India’s safeguard duty on solar cell and module imports from developed countries as well as China and Malaysia, according to a World Trade Organisation (WTO) filing dated 2 November.
Taiwan has taken up India’s safeguard duty on solar cell and module imports at the World Trade organisation (WTO) by requesting consultations, according to a filing dated 11 September.
Malaysia has requested consultations with India over its 25% safeguard duty on imports of solar cells and modules from developed countries, China and Malaysia, in a World Trade Organisation (WTO) filing dated 30 August.
China has filed a complaint at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the US’ 30% safeguard tariffs on solar imports as well as its renewable energy subsidies, claiming that they distort the global PV market – a move which comes as part of wider trade battle between the two global powers.
The delegation of the US has informed the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body that it has accepted the requests of China, the European Union, Malaysia and Thailand to join the consultations requested by the Republic of Korea over US solar tariffs.
Thailand has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) requesting consultations with the US over its 30% solar import tariffs and discussions over trade compensation, according to a WTO filing dated 21 June.
The US has rejected the European Union’s request for an alternative to the US safeguard measure on imports of crystalline silicon solar cells that would be less penalising on imports from the EU, according to a joint communication filed with the WTO on 19 March.
