WASHINGTON — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday that the United States can have solar energy and still stand up for human rights, following criticism that solar imports from China are linked to forced labor. President Joe Biden’s administration has issued warnings about the risks of supply chains in China’s Xinjiang region – which supplies much of the world’s solar industry – based on accusations of mass detention camps there for Muslim ethnic groups. About 45% of all polysilicon used in solar module production is produced in Xinjiang. The U.S. Senate this year passed a bill to ban Xinjiang products, but it has not advanced in the House. Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry has acknowledged the difficulties of reconciling climate concerns with some existing U.S. restrictions on China’s solar products.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 26, 2021 22:56 UTC