China restricts 12 solar technologies under new export rules

China's Ministry of Commerce released draft export restrictions Oct. 17 covering 12 photovoltaic manufacturing technologies, seeking to block overseas transfers of critical wafer and solar cell production processes.

The solar measures form part of a broader export control catalog covering 40 technologies across artificial intelligence, clean energy and biotechnology. Chinese factories currently supply roughly 97% of the world's solar wafers.

Joint Announcement No. 48 of 2026, issued with the Ministry of Science and Technology, splits the solar controls into outright export prohibitions and conditional licensing restrictions. The draft aims to protect domestic process monopolies.

Across the entire 40-technology proposal, authorities classified 14 items for outright export prohibition and 26 items for restricted licensing. Photovoltaic technologies account for nearly a third of the restricted and banned lists.

The proposed export prohibitions target advanced perovskite-silicon tandem cells — which layer synthetic crystals over silicon to absorb broader light wavelengths — and their dedicated manufacturing tooling. The bans cover processes based on wafers measuring 182 millimeters or wider.

The prohibition applies to tandem cells achieving conversion efficiencies of 30% or higher, according to the draft. Equipment for slot-die coating processes with coating widths of 1.1 meters or wider is also barred.

Beijing also proposed banning exports of large-area tandem module manufacturing tools. The rule covers single-junction perovskite modules measuring at least one square meter with efficiencies of 18% or more.

Perovskite tandem modules of the same minimum area with efficiencies reaching 28% or higher face identical export bans. The ministries designed the technical thresholds to cover commercial-scale pilot lines.

Under the restricted tier, exporters must secure government approval before transferring engineering know-how. The controls cover single-line polysilicon production facilities with an annual output capacity of 30,000 metric tons or more.

The restricted list also includes manufacturing technology for ultra-thin silicon wafers measuring 70 micrometers or less in thickness. Heterojunction cell fabrication lines and their dedicated production machinery face similar permit hurdles.

The draft rules do not ban the export of finished photovoltaic modules, solar cells or polysilicon raw material. Overseas trade in assembled solar panels will continue without additional customs restrictions, the ministries said.

The curbs focus instead on intellectual property transfers, overseas patent licensing and capital equipment sales. Foreign joint ventures involving a transfer of operational control fall directly under the regulatory scope.

Chinese polysilicon giant Tongwei Co. holds more than 25% of global high-purity polysilicon production capacity. The 30,000-ton line threshold prevents Tongwei from replicating its lowest-cost manufacturing facilities outside Chinese borders.

Wafer manufacturer LONGi Green Energy Technology Co. controls roughly 20% of global silicon wafer output. The 70-micrometer slicing restriction blocks LONGi from deploying its most advanced diamond-wire sawing systems in overseas factories.

Trina Solar Co. operates a 6.5-gigawatt wafer slicing plant in Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam. The company must register future tool shipments under tighter oversight, slowing capacity additions outside China.

The restrictions land directly on foreign manufacturers attempting to build non-Chinese supply chains. Western solar developers have spent two years attempting to replicate Chinese wafer cutting and ingot pulling capacity.

South Korea's Hanwha Solutions Corp. is investing $2.5 billion in Georgia to build a 3.3-gigawatt integrated solar hub. The project includes ingot, wafer, cell and module manufacturing lines.

Hanwha Qcells, the company's solar manufacturing unit, relies on Chinese machinery suppliers for wafer slicing and cell handling gear. Sourcing alternative non-Chinese equipment could increase capital expenditure by up to 40%.

Non-Chinese solar plants currently account for less than 3% of global wafer production. European equipment makers struggle to compete against Chinese tool vendors that produce ingot pullers at roughly half Western prices.

United States trade measures, including Section 301 tariffs and anti-circumvention duties, previously pushed Chinese firms to build assembly lines in Southeast Asia. The new controls prevent those Southeast Asian plants from upgrading.

Beijing instituted an immediate pre-export registration requirement on Oct. 16 alongside the draft catalogue. Exporters must file project details with provincial commerce authorities before entering into preliminary negotiations with foreign buyers.

The registration mandate applies retroactively to existing contracts where equipment deliveries remain incomplete, the ministries said. Customs agencies will cross-check shipping manifests against registration filings before clearing specialized machinery.

Public comments on the proposed revisions remain open through Nov. 15, the commerce ministry said. Domestic equipment makers and foreign manufacturers have four weeks to submit objections regarding technical boundaries.

The announcement does not state when the finalized catalogue will take full legal effect after public comments close. The ministries also did not specify review timelines for restricted export license applications.

Exporters must route all foreign technology cooperation filings through the Ministry of Commerce foreign trade department, according to the official notice.