In the July 14 memorandum, Commerce seeks information about the:  (1) amount of investment necessary to construct and start-up certain facilities, (2) non-financial barriers (e.g., access to inputs, qualified technical employees, technologies, research and development, etc.) that companies typically face to establish and begin certain operations, and (3) research and development ("R&D") expenses associated with conducting certain operations.  These types of facilities/operations involved in:

• refining silicon into solar-grade polysilicon,
• producing ingots from solar-grade polysilicon,
• producing wafers from solar-grade ingots,
• producing solar cells from wafers,
• producing solar modules from solar cells, and
• the same operations and products as foreign producers and exporters responding to Commerce's solar circumvention inquiries. 

The agency is particularly concerned with facilities located, and operations performed, in mainland China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, or Vietnam, but would accept information pertaining to other countries. 

Commerce is required to consider the level of investment and R&D expenses where circumvention is alleged due to assembly in a third country.  Level of investment and R&D expenses are factors that statutorily must be considered when Commerce assesses whether the processing occurring in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam is "minor or insignificant."[2]  It is therefore important that interested parties provide Commerce with the requested information by the fast-approaching deadline of July 21st. 

Commerce has requested this information only from "interested parties" in the solar circumvention inquiries which are defined under Commerce's rules to include foreign producers and U.S.Covington完全可以帮助客户响应商务请求提供事实信息或对商业规避查询有更广泛问题瑞格公元前19 0712022.

太阳产业一直处在生存危机中,这是威胁对很大一部分美国征收回溯未来关税所触发的导入物2022年4月1日启动危机时商务部启动调查以确定柬埔寨、马来西亚、泰国和越南的太阳能电池和模块是否绕过中国太阳能电池的反倾销税这些国家的太阳能电池大都占美国约80%2020年太阳模块导入量 。>#ftref1>[1] AD/CVD关税威胁触发东南亚太阳能电池和模块进口锐减并引起部分美国span>总统响应 2022年6月6日发布紧急声明§1318,并发布根据1950年国防生产法第303节修正(50 U.S.C.§4533 (Deptismation) >[5]声明发现紧急事件“威胁充足发电能力”,授权商务部暂停对柬埔寨、马来西亚、泰国和越南的太阳能电池模块收费24个月,而DCP确定旨在24个月中扩展太阳能电池的国内生产能力”。声明本身并不妨碍对东南亚国家进口太阳能电池和模块征收关税,而是授权商务大臣“采取适当行动”,允许免关税输入太阳能电池和模块24个月318(a)节表示:

While rarely invoked, section 318(a) was recently used by President Trump to reduce certain burdens on the importation of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] There are other examples of prior Administrations suspending imports tariffs under this provision.[9]

In addition to issuing the Declaration, President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act for solar cells and modules, as well as for: insulation, electric heat pumps, transformers (and electric grid components), electrolyzers, fuel cells, and platinum group metals.The White House indicated that the DPA Determination is intended to: accelerate domestic production of clean energy technologies, including solar panel parts and put the full power of federal procurement to work spurring additional domestic solar manufacturing capacity by directing the development of master supply agreements, including "super preference" status.[10]

The President's emergency action does not impact existing AD/CVD tariffs on imports of solar cells and modules from mainland China and Taiwan including such modules assembled in jurisdictions other than mainland China or Taiwan using cells from mainland China or Taiwan.

What Can We Expect from Commerce?

On the same day the Declaration was issued, Commerce issued a press release in which Secretary Raimondo indicated that Commerce "will issue regulations to temporarily permit for up to 24 months duty-free access to solar cells and modules from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam." The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Enforcement and Compliance, Lisa Wang, who is responsible for AD/CVD determinations, similarly stated: "no solar cells or modules imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam will be subject to new antidumping or countervailing duties during the period of the emergency."[11]

Commerce is expected to formalize the moratorium on these AD/CVD tariffs through a regulation.鉴于这一行动的紧急性质,商业界很可能在2022年8月29日初步判定日期前数日或数周发布这项条例而不通知和评论。

商业可能仍然发现柬埔寨、马来西亚、泰国和越南的太阳能电池和模块绕过AD和CVD订单,在这种情况下,关税估计在紧急段过期后开始应用。

Do这些行动解决美国危机太阳产业?

提供总统声明和商务声明,似乎极有可能在今后24个月内不向柬埔寨、马来西亚、泰国和越南的太阳能电池模块征收新的AD/CVD关税,无论规避调查结果如何宣言因此有可能产生关税可预测性,使美国太阳能产业需求继续输入太阳能电池模块太阳能电池生产者已经表示,他们正在考虑对暂停这些关税提出法律挑战上文指出,总统行动似乎与规约一致,法院通常在紧急情况下服从总统鉴此,这种法律挑战不太可能成功,而且由于通常需要时间提出这种挑战,也不太可能在商务8月初步判定前解决。太阳能产业在质疑AD/CVD收费的诉讼中,法院例行发布追溯性补救办法因此,在不大可能成功对《宣言》提出质疑的情况下,法院可追溯性地对太阳能电池和模块适用AD/CVD关税,特别是如果在任何诉讼未决期间采取程序步骤命令最终评估太阳能电池和模块关税。

在24个月紧急状态到期后进口关税水平方面比较不确定(或总统似乎不太可能结束紧急状态时更快)。商业发现规避后,从柬埔寨、马来西亚、泰国和越南等地对太阳能电池模块立即实施关税,目前尚不清楚该点可适用什么率。通常,外国出口商和生产者能够参加对AD/CVD指令的行政审查,以建立自己的公司特有收费率,而不是支付全局AD/CVD通用收费率,根据中国指令,总收费率约为250%(合并计算)。尚不清楚商务是否会允许东南亚国家出口商/生产商在紧急情况下参加评审,因为预计它们的商品在进口时不受关税约束。2024年中 假设紧急端太阳能产业发现极高AD/CVD收费威胁再次锐减美国太阳能电池和模块的供应市场

理解总统或商务对太阳能电池或对太阳能电池模块导入的潜在关税风险对贵公司很重要,Covington完全有条件提供帮助manbext网页版We have a group of attorneys who are well versed in these trade laws and have decades of experience helping clients navigate the tariff risks created by AD/CVD orders.

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If you have any questions concerning the material discussed, please contact the following members of our International Trade and Energy practices: Shara Aranoff, Alexander Chinoy, William Isasi, Andy Jack, and Jay Smith.

[1] Letter from Sen.海因里希森Lujan RepStansbury和Repfernández呼叫Biden总统(5月9日2022日)。