China’s 32,000-kilometer solar trade route that battled U.S. tariffs
The route let companies to obscure work done in China and Indonesia to deliver solar panels to the U.S. without tariffs.
U.S. President Donald Trump took steps to safeguard American solar manufacturers, partly due to a 32,000-kilometer trade route that operated between Kenya and an Indonesian island near Singapore. This route enabled firms to obscure manufacturing activities in China and Indonesia when delivering solar panels to the U.S. market, avoiding tariffs, as Bloomberg News discovered through trade and company data analysis.
The route emerged and expanded rapidly within a year, handling more than $100 million in monthly trade flows. Rapid trade shifts have become frequent in the solar industry as U.S. authorities tackle what they deem unfair trade practices by China. In response, companies relocated production to new countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, only for Washington to impose fresh tariffs, prompting firms to seek additional locations.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
