Trump Asked to Impose Tariffs on Solar Panels

Washington, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)--The U.S. International Trade Commission has officially recommended President Donald Trump to impose tariffs as high as 35 pct on imported solar panels in a bid to curb an inflow of the products made in China and other countries. Trump is expected to decide whether to impose such tariffs by mid-January based on Section 201 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974. According to a U.S. think tank, the envisaged tariffs are expected to affect solar panel imports from China, Japan, South Korea and European countries. If imposed, the tariffs would be the first U.S. safeguard measure since the one introduced in 2002 to curb imports of steel products made in Japan and other countries. The ITC presented its recommendation to Trump on Monday. The president has 60 days to make a decision. The ITC recognized "injury" to the U.S. solar panel industry from imported products in September. Last month, the agency suggested its plan to make a recommendation to the president. Criticizing China for violating U.S. intellectual property rights, the Trump administration in August opened an investigation based on Section 301 of the trade act for possible sanctions. It is also considering imposing import restrictions on steel and other products for national security reasons.Copyright JIJI PRESS LTD.