U.S. solar companies petition for probe into alleged tariff evasion by Korean-made cells

[Financial News] Three U.S. solar panel manufacturers have petitioned the United States Department of Commerce to investigate claims that Korean-made solar cells are circumventing U.S. tariffs on Chinese products.
According to British media reports on the 22nd local time, the three companies — Canadian Solar, SEG and Heliene — which operate solar panel factories in the United States, filed a petition with the Commerce Department on the 18th. They alleged that Qcells, Hanwha Qcells' U.S. unit, moved its production base from China to South Korea to avoid tariffs.
Qcells had been a key company leading U.S. trade petitions targeting solar imports from Southeast Asia, but it is now the respondent in this case. Some of the Southeast Asian imports at issue were in fact supplied to the petitioning companies' own factories.
Marta Stoepker, a spokesperson for Qcells, said, "We have led the reshoring of solar manufacturing in the United States and have a 10-year track record of supporting strong trade enforcement." She added, "The evidence will show that these claims are baseless."
whywani@fnnews.com Hong Chaewan Reporter