US labour federation calls for ban of solar imports from China's Xinjiang

US labour federation AFL-CIO is urging the Biden administration to block solar product imports from Xinjiang, China, over concerns of systematic forced labour in the region.

In a letter quoted by Reuters, Richard Trumka, the president of the federation, says there is convincing evidence on the matter and calls the government to take immediate action.

The letter is dated March 12 and is addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the news agency said.

Trumka later turned to Twitter to say the following: "We must all ensure that the renewable energy jobs of the just transition we are fighting for are not based on inputs produced by slave labor."

Johannes Bernreuter, head of polysilicon market intelligence firm Bernreuter Research, told Bloomberg last month that roughly 45% of the global supply of solar-grade polysilicon comes from that particular region of Western China.

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