China’s Ministry of Commerce on Friday proposed adding 12 photovoltaic manufacturing technologies to the country’s export-control list, a step that would bar or limit overseas access to some of the industry’s most advanced production methods and could disrupt expansion plans by manufacturers outside China.
The ministry framed the measure as a national-security matter, saying solar technologies are increasingly used in sensitive fields such as aerospace and defense. The proposal sits inside a broader revision of the export-control catalogue that also touches artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
Under the draft, Beijing would outright prohibit exports of certain processes used to make thin silicon wafers, perovskite and tandem solar cells, along with large-scale fluidized-bed polysilicon production systems. Perovskite is an emerging material that promises higher conversion efficiency, while tandem cells stack perovskite and silicon layers to capture a wider slice of the sunlight spectrum. Fluidized-bed polysilicon production is both cheaper and more energy-efficient than the Siemens process that has long dominated the industry.
A second tier of technologies would be restricted rather than banned, including the advanced cell architectures known as TOPCon, heterojunction technology (HJT) and XBC.
Note: Categorization based on the Ministry of Commerce proposal released Friday.
The ministry said the curbs are meant to keep sensitive technologies from spreading unchecked or being misused, while preserving legitimate scientific exchange and cooperation. Exporters would have to register certain overseas technology transfers until the catalogue is formally revised. Public consultation runs through Nov. 15.
The proposal follows earlier discussions between Chinese officials and manufacturers about possible limits on advanced panel-making technology, talks that had already raised concern among U.S. companies weighing domestic expansion, including Tesla (TSLA). Beijing has also tightened access to solar manufacturing know-how for India, which is trying to build a domestic industry and reduce its dependence on Chinese suppliers.
For the global solar supply chain, the draft adds a new layer of uncertainty. Manufacturers outside China that had planned to license Chinese processes for new plants would face delays or outright refusals, and the registration requirement creates near-term paperwork for any transfer already in the pipeline. Chinese equipment and technology suppliers, meanwhile, could see overseas revenue streams narrowed if the catalogue is finalized as drafted.
The proposal also signals that Beijing intends to keep strategic technologies under closer watch even as it continues to dominate global photovoltaic output, a posture that analysts say is aimed at preserving leverage as rival manufacturing hubs in the U.S. and India take shape.
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