The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has delivered a decisive blow to Southeast Asia’s solar export industry, clearing the final hurdle for sweeping anti-dumping and countervailing duties on solar equipment imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The ITC’s unanimous ruling on Tuesday concluded that these imports have materially harmed U.S. manufacturers, opening the door for full implementation of punitive tariffs as early as June.

The decision concludes a multi-year trade investigation that was set in motion by a coalition of domestic producers, including Hanwha Q Cells and First Solar Inc., who argued that a wave of low-cost, heavily subsidized imports had undermined the financial viability of U.S.-based production—despite significant federal tax incentives under legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act.

A temporary easing of trade tensions between the United States and China has set off a rapid surge in Chinese export activity, as manufacturers and logistics operators rush to capitalize on a narrow window of reduced tariffs before the 90-day truce expires. The spike, concentrated in mid-May, is the clearest signal yet of the disruptive influence of President Donald Trump’s trade policies on global commerce and the fragility of U.S.-China supply chains.

In the week starting May 12—just as Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily scale back tariffs—bookings on vessels departing China for the U.S. more than doubled to 228,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). That’s a sharp rebound after weeks of cautious inventory management amid tariff uncertainty.

In a major escalation of its economic campaign against Moscow, the European Union unveiled four new sanctions packages on Tuesday, marking the 17th round of penalties targeting Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The latest measures zero in on Russia’s clandestine oil trade—known as the “shadow fleet”—as well as entities linked to chemical weapons, human rights violations, and so-called hybrid threats, including disinformation and sabotage operations.

The coordinated effort underscores Brussels’ renewed urgency to disrupt Russia’s revenue flows and global logistics as the Kremlin adapts to circumvent Western financial and trade controls. The sanctions were formally adopted by the European Commission and announced as G7 finance ministers prepare to meet this week in Canada, where further tightening of the price cap on Russian crude is expected to be discussed.