US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing a 15 percent tariff and establishing a minimum import price on imported polysilicon and related products, a vital raw material used in semiconductor and solar panel manufacturing. Stemming from a US national security investigation into overseas polysilicon production, the measure is scheduled to take effect this coming December.
The primary objective of this trade policy is to shield the domestic semiconductor industry against growing Chinese dominance, generate local employment, and incentivize expanded domestic polysilicon production within the United States.
Recommended by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the executive order is expected to benefit key domestic polysilicon manufacturers, including Hemlock Semiconductor and Wacker Chemie. Washington maintains that decades of competition from cheap foreign imports have placed the supply chain of this critical material—essential to US military and commercial tech infrastructure—at severe risk.
Conversely, the Chinese Embassy in Washington accused the US of abusing state power to target Chinese enterprises. Following previous restrictions on drones and humanoid robots, this new tariff on polysilicon is set to intensify the ongoing tech rivalry between the world’s two largest economies.
