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Erratic! The US announced the exemption of "reciprocal tariffs" on solar cells and other goods!

Release Time:

2025-05-06

Inconsistent! The US announced an exemption from "reciprocal tariffs" on solar cells and other goods!

On April 12, multiple media outlets, including China News Network and Global Times, reported that according to the latest news from US media such as CNBC, smartphones and computers will not be affected by the Trump administration's "reciprocal tariff" policy, based on the latest guidelines from US Customs. The new tariff guidelines also include exemptions for other electronic devices and components, including semiconductors, solar cells, flat-panel displays, flash drives, memory cards, and solid-state drives used for data storage.

Reports indicate that this tariff exemption applies to all countries affected by Trump's so-called "reciprocal tariffs." Some analysts believe that one of Trump's goals in wielding the "tariff stick" was to bring American manufacturing back home. However, Wall Street is not optimistic. A recent report from Bank of America warned that if Apple were to move all iPhone production to the US, costs would surge by 90%, and logistical problems would arise. Additionally, Dan Ives, a senior analyst at Wedbush Securities who has long been bullish on US tech stocks, stated in a podcast that these tariffs could set the US tech industry back a decade. He also predicted that 15%–20% of capital expenditures in the US tech industry have been automatically suspended.

According to public data, as of the first quarter of 2025, the annual production capacity of solar modules in the US reached 50.5 GW, but the solar cell production capacity was only 2.3 GW, resulting in a battery gap of approximately 37 GW that needs to rely on imports.

Previously, the Biden administration planned to increase domestic photovoltaic production capacity to 22 GW by 2026 and provide tax credits and loan support through the Inflation Reduction Act. However, the current US battery manufacturing technology is lagging, and costs are high. Even with tariff exemptions, it will be difficult to break free from dependence on imports in the short term. Industry analysts point out that if the US forcefully promotes a "de-Chinaization" supply chain, it could lead to a surge in photovoltaic project costs by more than 30%, hindering the progress of energy transformation.

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