November 22, 2024 19:42 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed during encounter with security forces in Sukma | Baba Siddique murder case: Arrested Akashdeep Gill used a labourer's hotspot to evade tracking, say police | Donald Trump picks 'smart and tough' Pam Bondi as new US Attorney General after Matt Gaetz withdraws | Canadian government denies media report that claims PM Modi knew of Khalistani leader Nijjar's killing | PM Modi bestowed Dominica's highest award at India-CARICOM Summit
Forced labour: US solar companies rely on materials from China's Xinjiang
Xinjiang Forced Labour
Image Credit: World Uyghur Congress Twitter page

Forced labour: US solar companies rely on materials from China's Xinjiang

| @indiablooms | 21 Jan 2021, 09:44 pm

Washington: US solar companies are heavily dependent on materials produced in Xinjiang region of China where forced labour and re-education camps have become a major issue of concern for the global human rights activists.

Solar power has built a reputation as a virtuous industry, saving the planet by providing clean energy. But the industry has a dirty underbelly: It relies heavily on Xinjiang — a region in China that has become synonymous with forced labor for Muslim minorities — for key components, reports Buzzfeed.

Activists have claimed that China has detained more than a million people in a network of detention facilities throughout its Xinjiang region.

Many of these camps contain factories where Muslim minorities are forced to work. The solar industry is overwhelmingly reliant on parts and materials imported from this region, where heavy government surveillance makes it nearly impossible for outside observers to assess if people are working of their own free will. However, there are few alternative suppliers for the components the solar industry in the US needs, reports the news portal.

The Solar Energy Industries Association, which represents solar companies in the United States, opposes the “reprehensible” human rights violations in Xinjiang and is “encouraging” companies to move their supply chains out of the region, said John Smirnow, the group’s general counsel, reports Buzzfeed.

“We have no indication that solar is being directly implicated," he was quoted as saying by news portal, “but given reports, we want to ensure forced labor is never a part of the solar supply chain.”

Who are Uyghur Muslims?

Uyghur Muslims are a Turkic minority ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.

The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Related Images
Xi Jinping, Putin in Russia 22 Mar 2023, 02:56 pm
Related Videos