BEIJING: China has proposed export controls on 12 technologies used to make solar equipment, citing national security concerns, as part of a broader revision that also covers AI and biotechnology, according to a Reuters report published by The Express Tribune.
China's commerce ministry said in a statement on Friday that photovoltaic technologies are increasingly used in sensitive fields such as aerospace and national defence, requiring closer oversight. It said the aim was to prevent technologies from running out of control or being improperly spread, while safeguarding normal international scientific cooperation.
Under the proposal, exports of technologies used to make some thin wafers, perovskite and tandem solar cells, as well as large-scale fluidised-bed polysilicon production, would be banned. Advanced cell technologies such as TOPCon, HJT and XBC would be restricted rather than prohibited.
Until the export-control catalogue is formally updated, exporters must register certain overseas technology transfers; public consultation closes on November 15. The report said Beijing has already curbed solar-manufacturing technology exports to India, and analysts see the move as an effort to preserve China's dominance in the sector.
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