CLAIM: Former President Donald Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) suggested China is controlling most of the world’s solar panel supply chain, at Tuesday evening’s vice-presidential debate.
VERDICT: TRUE. China controls more than 80 percent of the world’s solar panel supply chain.
“The real issue is that if you’re spending hundreds of millions or even billions of American taxpayer money on solar panels that are made in China, number one, you’re going to make the economy dirtier. We should be making some of those solar panels here in the United States,” Vance said.
“If you really want to make the environment cleaner, you’ve got to invest in more energy production,” he continued.
The latest estimates suggest China controls nearly the entirety of the world’s solar panel supply chain.
“China will have more than 80% of the world’s solar manufacturing capacity through 2026 and will be capable of satisfying annual global demand for much of the next decade, according to a report published on Tuesday,” Reuters reported in November of last year.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
