By TIMESOFINDIA
December 3, 2023
The UK army is using solar panels made by companies with "very high" exposure to forced labor in China, according to a report from the BBC. These solar panels are linked to the exploitation of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The Ministry of Defence has identified JA Solar, Trina, and Qcells as the suppliers for these panels. The report cites Sheffield Hallam University, which highlights the high level of exposure these companies have to production in Xinjiang.
NEW DELHI: Britian's army is using solar panels made by companies having "very high" exposure to forced labour in China, BBC reported. Solar panel production in Xinjiang is reportedly linked to the exploitation of Uyghur Muslims, where the British Army is set to invest 200 million euros in solar panels at four of its locations. The Ministry of Defence has identified JA Solar, Trina, and Qcells as the suppliers for these solar panels, as reported by the BBC.
BBC cited a report from Sheffield Hallam University in the UK that highlighted the three companies to have a "very high" level of exposure to production in Xinjiang. However, spokesperson to the defense ministry said, "Wehave robust procedures in place that allow us to vet androutinely monitor all aspects of our supply chain which iskept under constant review."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing calls to take a harderline against China and to end the UK's dependence onsolar production.
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns is urging the UKgovernment to "sanction and [impose] a ban on any solarcompany with links to Uyghur forced labour fromoperating in the UK".
The US has accused the Chinese government of detainingmore than one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslimminorities in Xinjiang prison camps.
According to the US Department of Labor, detainees instate-sponsored programs are forced to manufacturevarious goods, including polysilicon, an essentialcomponent of solar panels.
Chinese government consistently denies all accusations ofhuman rights abuses in Xinjiang.
"An ever-growing mass of evidence linking the solarindustry to the forced labour and genocide of the Uyghurpeople in China, " Kearns, who chairs the Commonsforeign affairs committee reportedly said.
The lawmaker said "exposure via solar investments isindicative of the scale of the issue, which will only getworse as the UK continues to lag behind internationalpartners in acting".
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com