The western boycott of cotton grown in Xinjiang, under the lying claim that it is produced by forced labor by Uighurs, has now been extended to Photovoltaic cells produced in Xinjiang, under the same insane and easily disproven claim of forced labor.
A long report in Global Times today covers the impact of the boycott, noting that cotton and photovoltaic cells are both pillar industries of Xinjiang, and “have become the target of what appears to be a malicious campaign launched by Western anti-China forces to destroy Xinjiang’s rapidly ascending economy and ultimately obstruct the development of China.” Indeed, the lives of the Uighur people themselves are the primary target of this economic warfare. While claiming to protest “genocide,” writes GT, “what they are doing is essentially attempting to wipe out the industries and the bread and butter of over 25 million people in Xinjiang.”
While the cotton boycott was launched by the political anti-China mob, the campaign against the photovoltaic (PV) industry “appears to be pushed by forces within the PV industry that have been overwhelmed by Chinese firms, including those in Xinjiang, for years, in an apparent ill attempt to use politics to crack down on what they can’t compete with in the market,” GT writes, adding that the economic warfare is likely to spread to other industries in Xinjiang and nationwide.
“The workers from ethnic minority groups are mainly hired online, from universities and colleges, talent markets and by employee referrals. They enjoy paid annual leave, home visits with subsidies, wedding cash gifts, year-end bonuses and holiday gifts,” Zhang Longgen, deputy chairman of Xinjiang Daqo, one of the four major Chinese polysilicon manufacturers, told the Global Times, refuting lies published in Bloomberg, the New York Times and other US press sewers. He added: “Around 97 percent of the global silicon wafers are made in China…. The ridiculous thing is that the US forcibly distorts facts and smears all the good things we have done that benefited the ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang.”
“Forced labor is not only unethical but also illegal in China. We have examined our suppliers recently and found no behavior of ‘forced labor,’” Zhang said, adding the company’s employee turnover rate is less than 3 percent.
GT notes that in January 2020 the Switzerland-based Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) “examined cotton factories in Xinjiang and found no forced labor. Clothing brands such as Adidas and H&M, which have cooperation with BCI, also conducted examinations in Xinjiang. H&M had stated that it found no clue of “forced labor” in factories. But on October 21, 2020, BCI announced on its website to cease all field-level activities in China’s Xinjiang region.” Who needs evidence?
US Senators Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and others introduced the so-called “Keep China Out of Solar Energy Act” at the end of March, banning US federal funds from being used to buy solar panels from companies based in China.
