China’s Stealthy Solar Exports Stay One Step Ahead of US Tariffs
Chinese solar firms appear to be assembling products in Indonesia and skirting US tariffs. A new crackdown under President Donald Trump may soon close this loophole in a global cat-and-mouse trade strategy.
The hum of solar panel factories in this steamy island city doesn’t sound like much. But to American trade officials, it’s the muffled noise of rules being bent — or broken.
In recent months, Batam, a duty-free Indonesian enclave a short ferry ride from Singapore, has become a key waypoint in a convoluted global shuffle. Chinese solar manufacturers, facing stiff US tariffs, are quietly assembling their equipment in Indonesia and slipping their products into the American market, tariff-free.