US solar group petitions against China firms’ overseas plants including in Malaysia

Chinese firms dominate the manufacture of photovoltaic panels, which is a multi-step process often done in separate factories that can be located in different provinces or even countries.

ATTORNEYS advising a group of U.S. solar manufacturers said it filed petitions requesting federal investigations into Chinese firms circumventing tariffs by manufacturing in other countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

The group -- called the American Solar Manufacturers Against Chinese Circumvention -- filed the petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to Wiley Rein LLP, a Washington D.C. law firm advising the companies. Spokespersons for the department didn’t immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent outside of normal working hours.