New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) China’s system of state‑imposed labour transfers in Xinjiang has reached record levels, remains deeply entwined with the country’s crystalline silicon solar industry and arguably circumvented US trade restrictions, a new report has said.

The report from US based media house Times Leader argued that 3 million labour transfers of Uyghurs and other ethnic groups occurred in 2025, the highest figure on record and an increase despite the passage of United States federal law Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).

At the centre of this human rights violation is Hoshine Silicon Industry, the world’s largest producer of metallurgical‑grade silicon, which expanded output despite US restrictions. Hoshine’s sales surged from about 5,30,000 metric tons in 2021 to over 1.2 million tons in 2024, with roughly 90% of production still originating in Xinjiang.

The growth indicated shortfalls in enforcing UFLPA and the industry’s ability to reroute or obscure supply chains, the report argued.

It cited testimony from a former Han Chinese police officer who supervised labour transfers, saying that workers are forcibly escorted to fields, and their identity documents are confiscated.

Workers who refuse state-mandated assignments are sent to short-term detention facilities where they are “intentionally subjected to hardship and suffering” until they comply, the officer said.

China has employed a model designed to withstand international scrutiny by removing the camp-style features that drew global attention in 2017 and 2018, it said.

China now uses a three-party agreement with the local government and a state-owned human resources company, which mandates workers to remain employed for at least one year.

Further, US-bound modules are documented as using non-Xinjiang polysilicon, but the same companies remain deeply tied to Xinjiang production.

Chinese manufacturers also use the tactic of shifting manufacturing stages to third countries and claiming non-Chinese origin for a Chinese-made product to circumvent US laws.

—IANS

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