As well as the block on Hoshine solar products, the Biden administration has also added five polysilicon companies to the commerce department’s “entity list”. The list requires US-based businesses to first secure a license from the government before any trading is permitted. The block comes as part of the Biden administration’s attempt to pressurise the Chinese government over the incarceration of over 1 million Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
The US has been working with Canada, the UK, and the EU to impose sanctions on Chinese officials over its treatment of Uyghurs. Last month, diplomat John Kerry announced that the US was considering tougher sanctions on China. However, he did not state whether these sanctions would involve a ban on solar imports from the Xinjiang region or further measures against Beijing officials. Congress is reportedly considering introducing legislation requiring companies to provide assurances that their supply chains are not connected to forced Chinese labour.
Officials in China have labelled the allegations of forced labour as a US attempt to undermine international competition of the solar industry.
