Customs data reveals that China shipped 1.21 million metric tons of solar hardware last month. While this represents a marginal recovery from August volumes, the broader downward trend remains firmly entrenched. The erosion of export competitiveness traces back to April, when authorities eliminated value-added tax rebates for photovoltaic products. This fiscal policy shift has effectively raised international price points, cooling demand for Chinese-made components.
China Tightens Grip on Solar Exports as Shipments Continue to Slide
Global solar markets face mounting uncertainty as Chinese exports of cells and panels dropped 6.4% in September compared to last year. This ongoing slump, reaching a 9.5% year-to-date decline, coincides with Beijing’s aggressive move to potentially restrict the export of critical manufacturing technologies under new national security mandates.
Beyond tax adjustments, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology are currently weighing a significant expansion of export controls. The proposed catalog targets nearly 40 technologies across artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and the solar sector. Specifically, the state aims to gatekeep manufacturing processes for high-efficiency products, including perovskite, tandem solar cells, and advanced wafer production. A month-long public consultation period is currently underway to finalize these restrictions, signaling a strategic pivot toward protecting core technological dominance over pure export volume.
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