Lessons Learned from 'Suspicious Communication Devices' Found in Chinese-Made Solar Power Systems

Wajo Holdings, which I represent, is a company involved in electrical equipment related to solar power generation and environmental businesses. As someone on the front lines of solar power, there was some news that caught my attention, and I would like to address it this time.

In May 2025, there were reports that suspicious communication devices had been found in Chinese-made solar power systems. The incident originated in the United States. Like Japan, the U.S. imports large quantities of Chinese-made solar power systems. Suspicious communication devices were discovered in that equipment, and they were mysterious parts not listed in the specifications. When investigated as suspicious, it was found that they were devices capable of remotely controlling the solar power systems, meaning it would not be impossible for China, if it chose to, to remotely shut down solar power generation all at once and cause a large-scale blackout.
Coincidentally, the U.S. is in the midst of a trade war with China under the Trump administration. Moreover, for national security reasons, the U.S. has been banning Chinese-made cyber equipment and has adopted a policy of not introducing Chinese-made equipment into government agencies and similar institutions.

Regarding this, although it includes some speculation, I have thought about the intentions and background from my own perspective. China is a totalitarian state with a one-party dictatorship by the Communist Party, and while there are many companies, it is a country where they basically cannot defy the Communist Party. In other words, any product made by a Chinese manufacturer inevitably reflects some form of permission or intention from the Chinese government. It is unlikely that the manufacturer installed the suspicious communication devices found this time on their own without the government's knowledge. Therefore, it is natural to think that the manufacturer installed the communication devices in line with the government's intentions.
Then, for what purpose? Even if it is technically possible to shut down solar power generation all at once via remote control, the hurdles to executing that would be far too high. If they did that, it would be a cyberattack practically equivalent to a declaration of war, and the source would be identified immediately. By the time they would risk that much to use it for a cyberattack, the situation would already be one of war for everyone to see. This leads me to speculate that the goal is to hold a card that says, 'We can cause a large-scale blackout at any time.'

With the fact that communication devices not in the specifications were exposed, Western countries, led by the U.S., are showing their wariness, but I also wonder if this was intentionally made to be discovered. It is a hidden message saying, 'If we feel like it, we can launch a cyberattack at any time.' China uses such tactics in various places. When they were in conflict with Japan over the Senkaku Islands, they imposed export restrictions on rare earths. Since rare earths are essential materials for manufacturing high-tech equipment, they were harassing Japan, thinking they would be in trouble without them. However, what happened as a result was that Japan's technological innovation accelerated, leading to the development of rare earth recycling and alternative materials, and the construction of a supply chain that does not rely on supply from China. That's Japan for you. Now, they seem to be using rare earth export restrictions against the U.S. as a card in the trade war, but it seems Japan is offering cooperation on this, and in the end, it only seems to be raising Japan's presence and increasing the wariness of the U.S. and other Western countries. When they banned Japanese marine products over the Fukushima treated water issue, Japan created a situation where they didn't need to sell to China because they were in high demand from other countries—that's also classic Japan.

Let's return to the topic of solar power systems. Today, the majority of the world's solar power systems are made in China. This is a reality we cannot turn our backs on, partly because the supply chain in China is the most developed in the world. They may have thought of this as an opportunity to create a remote-control mechanism and dominate the world, but it is quite shallow, isn't it? Since the logical approach is to counter technology with technology, it is expected that mechanisms will be implemented in the future to prevent such communication devices from doing harm, and the situation of 'we can remotely control it at any time' will be resolved. Mechanisms to install firewalls and prevent non-intended communication have already been developed, and such systems will likely become widespread.
Furthermore, looking across the industry, there are manufacturers like Choshu Industry that are pushing 'purely domestic' products to the forefront. In addition to quality and technical prowess, Japanese-made, purely domestic solar power systems may come to have an advantage in the future as a way to differentiate through peace of mind.

Currently, in China, solar panel manufacturers are also in a difficult situation due to the economic slowdown and overproduction. There is a high possibility that manufacturers will continue to fall into the red and resort to dumping out of desperation. We have entered an era where, not limited to solar power systems but for everything, we need the ability to carefully discern why a product is cheap, rather than jumping at it just because it is inexpensive.
In these times, when it is pointed out that products that have become difficult to export to the U.S. due to high tariffs are heading to Japan, we live in an age where buying a Chinese-made smartphone just because it is cheap might mean you get an uninvited 'extra.' In the past, there was actually a case where malware (malicious software or apps) capable of remote control, known as a backdoor, was installed on Chinese-made smartphones. Since smartphones are bundles of information, a particularly strict sense of security is required. In an era where the power to discern things and see through to the essence is increasingly required, it is important to have the attitude of protecting yourself on your own.