Inquiry targets Chinese-content solar cells assembled in Ethiopia and Vietnam to evade existing AD/CVD orders
Washington, D.C. (July 16, 2026) — The U.S. Department of Commerce has initiated a country-wide circumvention inquiry to determine whether crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells completed in Ethiopia using Chinese-origin parts and components — either exported directly to the United States or further assembled into modules in Vietnam before export — are circumventing the existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on solar cells from China. The inquiry, filed under Section 781(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, follows a request submitted by First Solar, Qcells, Talon PV, Swift Solar, Great Lakes Solex PR, DYCM Power, Suniva, and Silfab Solar.
The petition documented that U.S. imports of Ethiopia-origin CSPV cells and modules, nonexistent before July 2025, reached $277 million in the second half of 2025 alone and have continued climbing in 2026. The petitioners connected this growth to a corresponding surge in Chinese exports of key cell and module inputs to Ethiopia. Commerce will evaluate the pattern of trade, the level of investment and production capacity in Ethiopia, and whether assembly there is minor or insignificant relative to the value of the Chinese-origin inputs.
“Our sustained monitoring of these trade flows is delivering results, and this new investigation sends a clear signal to bad actors: we will not stand by while they repeatedly circumvent our trade laws to undercut American manufacturing,” said Tim Brightbill, lead counsel for the petitioners and co-chair of Wiley’s International Trade Practice. “We commend the Department of Commerce for following the evidence and initiating this inquiry.”
What happens next
Commerce will base respondent selection on Customs import data and intends to issue a preliminary circumvention determination within 150 days of the notice’s publication in the Federal Register, with a final determination due within 300 days. Pending the outcome, Commerce has directed Customs to continue suspension of liquidation on entries already covered by the underlying orders and to apply the cash deposit rates that would apply if the merchandise is found within scope. Duties can be retroactive back to the date of initiation of the circumvention investigation.
The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade is a coalition of four member and supporter companies calling for the enforcement of U.S. trade laws against foreign entities engaging in illegal practices to protect American jobs, ensure fair market prices, and secure a strong American solar manufacturing industry for generations to come. For more information, visit aasmt.org.