Xinjiang slams Western attempts to curb its photovoltaic industry

URUMQI -- An industry association official in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has lashed out at attempts by the United States and some other Western countries to curb the development of Xinjiang's photovoltaic industry and undermine China's participation in the global photovoltaic industry value chain.

China's photovoltaic industry does not serve the market of any particular country, and the United States and certain other Western countries should stop "building walls" and "decoupling," said Pan Cunxiang, secretary-general of the region's nonferrous metals industry association, at a press briefing on Wednesday.

At the beginning of this year, some foreign forces attempted to attack Xinjiang's photovoltaic industry using the same "forced labor" tactic they had taken against the region's cotton industry.

The polysilicon enterprises in Xinjiang have achieved a high degree of automation and digitalization, and 5G technology has been applied to the production process, Pan said. Most operations in the factories are completed by computers and do not require much manual labor, he said.

The local photovoltaic enterprises guarantee equal employment and treatment for ethnic minority employees, in accordance with laws and regulations, Pan said. The incomes of employees at polysilicon enterprises in Xinjiang are in the middle and high range, he added.

"As countries around the world have raised their climate commitments, what we need is more cooperation rather than malicious smearing," Pan said.

He urged some people in the United States and certain other Western countries to stop "building walls" and "decoupling," and to stop violating international trade rules and the principles of the market economy.

Pan said global photovoltaic industry associations, research institutions and enterprises are welcome to visit Xinjiang to learn about the true situation there and then make correct judgement.