US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing a 15% tariff on imported products made from polysilicon, a key material used in semiconductors and solar panels. The order also set minimum import prices on polysilicon and related products after a national security investigation into overseas production.
The measures are intended to support US manufacturers as they face growing competition from China’s chip industry, a major source of friction between the world’s two largest economies.
The Chinese embassy in Washington said the move
"seriously disrupts"trade between the two countries and said Beijing would act to protect its companies. The embassy also said Washington is
"abusing state power to go after Chinese businesses,"adding that protectionism will not make the US more competitive.
Trump said in the order, external that he had accepted recommendations from Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to set minimum import prices and a 15% tariff on polysilicon and related imports. The measures are due to take effect in December, and the US will also offer incentives to boost domestic production.
For decades, the US has allowed
"foreign firms to weaken United States producers in the polysilicon sector,"Trump said, repeating his long-standing argument that tariffs can protect American jobs and strengthen the economy.
The material is critical in military equipment and electronics, yet imports have led to the US share of global polysilicon production falling from 50% in 2005 to less than 2% in 2024, Trump said. China holds a near monopoly on polysilicon production.
The order is likely to benefit Hemlock Semiconductor and Wacker Chemie, the main producers of the material in the US.
How does this fit into the wider US-China tech rivalry?
Computer chip production is central to the race between the US and China to develop artificial intelligence (AI). Washington and Beijing have also been locked in a tit-for-tat tariffs war, which has been on hold since May 2025.
Analysts quoted by Chinese state media outlet Global Times said the new tariff marks the latest escalation in Washington’s efforts to limit China’s role in critical technology supply chains.
The move follows other US restrictions on imports of drones, humanoid robots and other tech products from China.
What has China done in response?
China announced a range of countermeasures this week, including tighter export controls on drones. Beijing also launched a national security review into imported printers and copiers.
Key Facts
- Trump signed an executive order on Thursday imposing a 15% tariff on products made from polysilicon.
- The order also sets minimum import prices on polysilicon and related products.
- The measures take effect in December and follow a national security investigation.
- Trump said US polysilicon production has fallen from 50% in 2005 to less than 2% in 2024.
- China said the move
"seriously disrupts"
trade and vowed to protect its companies.
