The action reflects an escalation of efforts to use economic leverage to pressure China over its use of forced labor as part of its campaign against ethnic minorities in the country’s far wester Xinjiang region.
WASHINGTON — A Chinese company that produces a key ingredient in solar panels will be barred from the U.S. market as part of a broader effort to halt commerce tied to the country’s repressive campaign against Uyghurs and other minorities, the Biden administration said Thursday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will immediately halt shipments from the Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. Ltd. and its subsidiaries under a law that bans the import of goods produced with forced labor. In addition, the Commerce Department will add six Chinese entities involved in the production of raw materials and components for the solar industry to a blacklist restricting their access to the American market, the administration said. The moves target a relatively small slice of the U.S. import market, but it is notable given the administration’s renewable energy goals. It also reflects an escalation of efforts to use economic leverage to pressure China over its use of forced labor as part of its campaign against ethnic minorities in the country’s far wester Xinjiang region. “Our environmental goals will not be achieved on the backs of human beings in a forced labor environment,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. “We are going to root out forced labor and we are going to use alternative products that are manufactured legitimately in keeping with our values and our commitment to a fair market place.” CBP found evidence that workers there were intimidated, threatened and their movement was restricted in its investigation of the of the polysilicon industry in Xinjiang, officials said at a news conference.
