China criticizes U.S. for extending tariffs on imported solar

China criticized U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to extend tariffs on imported solar equipment, saying the act will “distort” international trades of the renewable energy product.

“The U.S. government insisted on the extension regardless of the strong opposition domestically and internationally,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Saturday. “The act won’t contribute to the healthy development of America’s solar industry and distorts the international trade order of solar as a new energy product.”

The tariffs, first introduced by former President Donald Trump in 2018, had been scheduled to expire in early February and will now run for another four years. Biden’s move includes an exemption for imported two-sided, or bifacial, panels that are widely used in utility-scale solar projects. The exclusion was first granted by Trump, and though he later tried to eliminate it, the exemption remains in place.

China dominates the world’s solar manufacturing. The U.S. imports most of its panels from Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, including from factories owned by Chinese companies. The tariffs Biden is extending are layered on top of existing anti-dumping and countervailing duties on solar cells and panels from China.

“We hope the U.S. can take real action to deal with the climate change and push forward global free trade,” the Chinese ministry said in the statement.