(TheConservativeNews.org) – Polysilicon, also known as polycrystalline silicon, is used to make the photovoltaic cells that go into solar panels. This crucial raw material is a major Chinese export. Statistics show that the Asian giant produces around 80% of America’s supply of polysilicon. Much of this originates in Xinjiang, the area of China’s northwest in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have reportedly perpetrated a series of abuses against minorities.
This is presenting a problem for President Joe Biden and his climate ambitions. On Wednesday, May 12, John Kerry, the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the Biden administration was considering imposing economic sanctions on China because of its use of forced labor in the renewable energy manufacturing industry.
When Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) put it to Kerry that we could be importing the products of “slave labor,” Kerry admitted this was a possibility.
As China does its best to avoid transparency on issues like these, there are no guarantees that our polysilicon is ethically sourced. The Biden administration may therefore find it politically impossible to continue pursuing its green agenda in this way.
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