ITA imposes tariffs on Chinese solar panels

A recent International Trade Administration report found that Chinese companies are unfairly dumping Chinese-government-subsidized solar panels on the American market. The result is unfair competition in the American market, which many say is stifling American innovation in solar technology. To counter this, the ITA proposes a 30 percent tariff on Chinese solar panels. On the other hand, the Chinese say that tariffs are not in the spirit of the competitive solar panel market, and will discourage innovation on their end as well. Though the actual effects on solar innovation are unclear, what is clear is that the political relationship between the Chinese and American governments are increasingly strained because of this issue.