US renews safeguard on photovoltaic cells
The United States government reported that it renewed a safeguard on imports of photovoltaic cells imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump four years ago.
Thus, the Administration of President Joe Biden will extend the safeguard on solar products and maintain an exclusion on bifacial panels that, according to the United States International Trade Commission, undermined the original remedy.
The announcement was released by the White House on Friday.
Initially, on January 23, 2018, pursuant to section 203 of the Trade Act of 1974, the Trump issued Proclamation 9693, imposing a safeguard measure for a period of four years that included both a tariff quota (TRQ , for its acronym in English) on imports of certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells (CSPV), not partially or totally assembled in other products, provided for in subheading 8541.40.6025 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), and an increase in tariffs (safeguard tariff) on imports of CSPV cells in excess of the TRQ and all imports of other CSPV products, including modules under HTS subheading 8541.40.6015.
Proclamation 9693 exempted imports from certain beneficiary countries designated under the Generalized System of Preferences from the application of the safeguard measure.
Photovoltaic cells
In Mexico, the Ministry of Economy announced that it will start a dialogue with the USTR regarding the safeguard for imports of photovoltaic cells.
Clause four of the proclamation released by the US government instructs the USTR to initiate negotiations with Mexico and Canada to address the measure originally imposed in January 2018, which covered imports of photovoltaic cells and photovoltaic cell modules that entered the United States for a period of four years.
In coordination with the Mexican industry, the Mexican Ministry of Economy said that it will lead the negotiations with the USTR committed to maintaining competitiveness and certainty for trade and investment in the North American region, allowing the Mexican industry to continue exporting cells and photovoltaic modules to the United States under the preferential conditions negotiated in the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (USMCA).
«The Government of Mexico reiterates its openness to dialogue and evaluates, in parallel, the possibility of taking measures in accordance with the USMCA and the World Trade Organization, including the rights of exclusion and compensation/suspension of concessions,» said the Ministry of Economy it’s a statement.
