**U.S. to Increase Tariffs on Solar Wafers to 50%**
Reports from major foreign media on the 11th indicated that the United States plans to impose tariffs of up to 50% on materials related to China’s clean energy technology.
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is expected to announce that tariffs on Chinese solar wafers and polysilicon will be doubled to 50%. Tungsten products are anticipated to face a 25% tariff.
Solar wafers and polysilicon are essential for the manufacturing of solar cells, while tungsten is used in a variety of applications, from weapons to computer chips.
The new tariffs are expected to take effect on January 1st of next year, a few weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
This tariff increase is seen as an effort to protect the rapidly growing solar energy sector in the U.S. from low-cost Chinese materials. It reflects concerns that the U.S. is excessively reliant on China for materials crucial to energy security and technology.
Previously, the U.S. and China have clashed over semiconductor technology and tariffs. In September, the U.S. significantly increased tariffs on Chinese electric cars from 25% to 100%. In response, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned during a bilateral meeting with President Biden at the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, last month that actions harming China’s economic development should not cross a “red line.”
Subsequently, China announced an antitrust investigation into U.S. semiconductor leader Nvidia on the 9th and stated it would control exports of rare minerals used in semiconductor chip production to the U.S.