China Proposes Export Controls on 12 Solar Technologies

The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, in coordination with the Ministry of Science and Technology, proposed adding 12 photovoltaic technologies to the national catalogue of prohibited or restricted exports on October 16, 2026. The proposal targets manufacturing know-how rather than finished solar products, specifically banning technologies for producing thin wafers, perovskite and tandem solar cells, and large-scale fluidized-bed polysilicon production.

Other advanced manufacturing technologies, including TOPCon, HJT, and XBC, would be restricted but not prohibited. Beijing justifies these controls by citing the application of these technologies in aerospace, national defense, and sensitive infrastructure. This initiative is part of a broader revision covering 40 technologies across the solar energy, artificial intelligence, and biomedicine sectors.

The ministry stated the goal is to "guard against the risks of technologies from running out of control or being improperly disseminated, while safeguarding normal international exchanges and cooperation in science and technology". While finished panels remain unaffected, the curbs may complicate the establishment of overseas factories and slow global clean energy efficiency gains, potentially impacting domestic manufacturing goals in the United States and India.

Public consultation on the proposal ends November 15, 2026. In the interim, exporters must register certain overseas technology transfers until the official catalogue is updated.