“I am deeply troubled by the situation faced by REC Silicon’s polysilicon manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, due to an ongoing trade dispute affecting U.S. and Chinese solar industries. The company has been caught in this protracted disagreement, and I and my administration will continue to do everything we can to help resolve this issue and keep the Moses Lake plant open and its workers on the job.
“Since 2013, I and my staff have been involved in dozens of conversations with the U.S. and Chinese governments and domestic stakeholders to reach a resolution on this issue and allow fair access to the Chinese market for American polysilicon manufacturers. I have greatly appreciated the diligent work of the Obama administration, specifically the U.S. Trade Representative and White House National Security Council, in their efforts to end this impasse with a bilateral agreement. Important progress had been made over the summer, but the situation now demands urgent resolution, as I have made clear to Chinese officials. In the last 24 hours I have spoken with the Chinese Minister of Commerce and the Ambassador and encouraged them to reach an agreement that will benefit both Chinese and American solar and polysilicon industries.
“While we in Washington look forward to hosting Chinese leaders this week and exploring economic and cultural opportunities that will benefit our state and both nations, there remain outstanding issues that must be resolved in the spirit of economic collaboration. I will continue to urge all parties to work hard to quickly find an agreement on this issue to avoid harmful impacts to businesses and jobs.”