China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) have begun temporary registration before certain technology exports as they seek public input on a catalogue revision that includes 12 solar manufacturing technologies.
The ministries’ announcement, published Oct. 16, made the temporary registration system effective immediately. It applies when ownership of covered technology is transferred, when a license authorizes its use overseas, or when a change places the technology’s owner or controller under a foreign entity. Transactions already underway are included if they had not been completed when the requirement began.
The system remains in place until the revised catalogue formally takes effect. Registration is therefore required during the consultation period, while the proposed catalogue changes have yet to take effect.
The draft covers 40 technologies: 23 in artificial intelligence, five in biomedicine and 12 in solar polysilicon, wafer and cell production. The ministries set Nov. 15 as the deadline for comments on the proposed scope and controls.
The ministries also clarified how equipment fits into the proposal. Key equipment named in the list is covered only when it carries technology that meets the stated control indicators, according to the ministry’s Q&A. Other solar equipment that is not listed is generally outside the requirement.
The Q&A says the draft would prohibit exports of technology used to produce perovskite and tandem-cell modules. It also identifies the growing use of photovoltaic technology in sensitive fields, including aerospace, defense and high-security infrastructure, as a reason for the revision.
MOFCOM describes the update as routine and says the catalogue has been revised repeatedly since 2001. Public comments on the current proposal close Nov. 15.
