US bans imports of solar panel material from Chinese company
The administration of US President Joe Biden has banned the imports of some solar panel material from Chinese-based Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. over forced labor allegations, sources told Reuters.
The Commerce Department also added Hoshine and four others involved in silicon production to its entity list, restricting exports of products or technology to them. It alleged they were involved with the forced labor of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang.
China vehemently denies the allegations, saying it is addressing underdevelopment and a lack of jobs in heavily Uighur areas such as Xinjiang.
The four other companies are Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), Xinjiang Daqo New Energy Co., a unit of Daqo New Energy Corp (DQ.N); Xinjiang East Hope Nonferrous Metals Co., a subsidiary of Shanghai-based manufacturing giant East Hope Group; and Xinjiang GCL New Energy Material Co., part of GCL New Energy Holdings Ltd (0451.HK).
At least some of the companies are key producers of monocrystalline silicon and polysilicon that are used in solar panel production.
The immediate effect of the restrictions would be limited as the companies named do not have "vast contracts" with US based wafer companies, Dennis Ip, Regional Head of Power, Utilities, Renewables & Environment (PURE) Research at Daiwa said in a note to clients.
"However, we see possibility for the ban to gradually extend to include restrictions on all solar modules which contain Xinjiang-produced polysilicon," he said.
Chinese module producers could still use polysilicon from Inner Mongolia and Yunnan for their US-bound module shipments, he added.
Around 45% of all polysilicon used in solar module production is manufactured in Xinjiang, with 35% produced in other parts of China. The remainder is imported from outside China.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials and researchers have described allegations of forced labor as a ploy by the US to undercut the international competitiveness of the country’s solar industry.
In response to the Biden administration’s move, China's embassy in Washington referred to remarks by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday who dismissed accusations of genocide and forced labor in Xinjiang as "nothing but rumors with ulterior motives and downright lies."
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