Solar Company Seeks Stiff U.S. Tariffs to Deter Chinese Spying New York Times (09/02/14) Cardwell, Diane SolarWorld Americas, the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the United States, has asked the Commerce Department to investigate claims that Chinese military personnel broke into the companys computers and stole documents important to its business and its long-running trade dispute with China. The companys request followed the Justice Departments decision to prosecute five members of the Peoples Liberation Army, accusing them in May of stealing online files from a group of American companies, most of which had engaged in trade disputes with China. SolarWorld says the new prosecution underscores the sophisticated ways that Chinese companies are retaliating against trade obstacles, especially the use of cyberwarfare. As a deterrent, the company is proposing that the administration should use tariffs to crack down on such retribution. We think it is critically important that the Commerce Department set a precedent here and take a strong stand that it will not tolerate cyberhacking of U.S. companies that file trade cases, says Timothy Brightbill, a lawyer representing SolarWorld. While acknowledging that the Justice Department is unlikely to compel the suspects to appear in a United States courtroom, he says the federal government could impose additional steep tariffs on imports of Chinese solar panels in order to make it hurt, says Brightbill.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 18:25:03 +0000
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