In the News: Alleged Uyghur Exports Blocked; High-Tech Export Controls; and Invalid VAM Agreement

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U.S. Blocks Solar Panel Imports from China

As of Oct. 25, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had seized over 1,053 shipments of solar energy components worth hundreds of millions of dollars—prompted by the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which came into effect on June 21, according to a Reuters report.

Sources familiar with the matter said products seized include solar panels and polysilicon cells made by three Chinese manufacturers: Longi Green Energy Technology Co Ltd., Trina Solar Co Ltd., and JinkoSolar Holding Co. These three companies supply one-third of the U.S.'s solar panels and have now halted new shipments to the U.S. The UFLPA, signed into law last December, creates a presumption that all goods produced wholly or in part in Xinjiang are made with forced labor and thus banned from import into the U.S. The American Clean Power Association (ACPA), a trade group representing renewable energy companies, urged authorities to streamline the vetting process for imports, as solar panels are "stuck in limbo with no end in sight" despite all having passed UFLPA reviews. A spokesperson for CBP said the release of imports is "ultimately contingent upon how quickly an importer is able to submit sufficient documentation."