China Uyghur labour transfers hit record 3 million in 2025 despite UFLPA
Synopsis
Despite a US federal law meant to block goods made with Xinjiang forced labour, China's state-run labour transfer programme hit a record 3 million transfers in 2025. At the centre is Hoshine Silicon — the world's largest metallurgical silicon producer — whose output more than doubled since 2021, with 90% still sourced from Xinjiang. The report lays bare how Beijing redesigned the system to evade scrutiny while keeping it deeply embedded in global solar supply chains.
Key Takeaways
China recorded a record 3 million Uyghur and minority labour transfers in Xinjiang in 2025 , the highest figure on record.
Hoshine Silicon Industry , the world's largest metallurgical-grade silicon producer, expanded output from 5,30,000 metric tons in 2021 to over 1.2 million metric tons in 2024, with 90% still produced in Xinjiang.
A former Han Chinese police officer testified that workers are forcibly escorted, have documents confiscated, and face detention if they refuse assignments.
China replaced camp-style facilities with a three-party contractual model to reduce international visibility, reportedly mandating workers remain employed for at least one year .
US-bound solar modules are documented as using non-Xinjiang polysilicon, yet manufacturers remain tied to Xinjiang production; third-country re-routing is cited as a key evasion tactic.
China's state-imposed labour transfer programme in Xinjiang reached a record 3 million transfers of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in 2025, according to a new report, even as the United States Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) remained in force. The report argues that Beijing has not only sustained but expanded a system that critics say amounts to forced labour — and that global solar supply chains remain deeply implicated.
Record Transfers Despite US Restrictions
The 3 million labour transfers recorded in 2025 represent the highest figure since tracking began, according to the report by Times Leader, a US-based media organisation. The increase comes despite the UFLPA — federal legislation specifically designed to block goods produced with Xinjiang forced labour from entering the American market. The report argues that the law's enforcement has fallen short, and that Chinese manufacturers have developed sophisticated workarounds to obscure supply chain origins.
Hoshine Silicon at the Centre
At the heart of the alleged violations is Hoshine Silicon Industry, described as the world's largest producer of metallurgical-grade silicon. Despite being placed on a US trade restriction list, Hoshine's output reportedly surged from approximately 5,30,000 metric tons in 2021 to over 1.2 million metric tons in 2024. Roughly 90% of that production still originates in Xinjiang, according to the report. The company's continued expansion, critics argue, reflects systemic gaps in UFLPA enforcement and the industry's capacity to reroute or obscure supply chains.
How the System Operates
The report cites testimony from a former Han Chinese police officer who reportedly supervised labour transfers. According to the officer, workers are 'forcibly escorted to fields' and their identity documents are confiscated. Those who refuse state-mandated assignments are sent to short-term detention facilities where they are, in the officer's words, 'intentionally subjected to hardship and suffering' until they comply.
Notably, China has reportedly redesigned the programme to reduce its visibility. The camp-style infrastructure that drew global condemnation in 2017 and 2018 has been replaced with a three-party contractual model involving local governments and state-owned human resources companies, which mandates workers remain employed for a minimum of one year. The report argues this restructuring was designed specifically to withstand international scrutiny.
Solar Supply Chain Entanglement
The report draws a direct line between the labour transfer system and the global crystalline silicon solar industry. US-bound solar modules are reportedly documented as using non-Xinjiang polysilicon, yet the same manufacturers remain deeply tied to Xinjiang production. Chinese companies are also said to shift manufacturing stages to third countries and then claim non-Chinese origin for the finished product — a tactic the report describes as a deliberate strategy to circumvent US trade law.
What Comes Next
The findings are likely to intensify pressure on US customs authorities and lawmakers to tighten UFLPA enforcement mechanisms, particularly around supply chain traceability for solar components. With global clean energy demand rising and Xinjiang's dominance in polysilicon production entrenched, the tension between climate supply chains and human rights accountability is set to sharpen.
Point of View
While the primary sanctioned producer more than doubles output, is a law that has been outmanoeuvred. The solar supply chain dimension makes this acutely uncomfortable: the world's clean energy transition is, in part, being built on a labour system that a US federal law formally designates as forced. India, which imports Chinese solar components at scale, has so far avoided engaging with this accountability question. That silence will become harder to sustain as Western scrutiny of supply chains intensifies.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What are China's Uyghur labour transfers in Xinjiang?
China's labour transfer programme involves the state-mandated relocation of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang to work in factories and fields, often under coercive conditions. According to a new report by Times Leader, 3 million such transfers occurred in 2025 — the highest figure on record — with workers reportedly having their documents confiscated and facing detention if they refuse assignments.
What is the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and why is it relevant?
The UFLPA is a US federal law that presumes goods produced wholly or in part in Xinjiang are made with forced labour, effectively banning their import unless importers can prove otherwise. The report argues the law has failed to curb the scale of labour transfers, with Chinese manufacturers rerouting supply chains through third countries to claim non-Chinese origin and bypass UFLPA restrictions.
How is Hoshine Silicon Industry connected to the forced labour allegations?
Hoshine Silicon Industry, the world's largest producer of metallurgical-grade silicon, is at the centre of the report's findings. Despite US trade restrictions, Hoshine's output reportedly grew from 5,30,000 metric tons in 2021 to over 1.2 million metric tons in 2024, with roughly 90% of production still originating in Xinjiang. The report argues this expansion reflects systemic gaps in UFLPA enforcement.
How has China restructured the labour transfer system to avoid international scrutiny?
According to the report, China replaced the camp-style facilities that drew global attention in 2017 and 2018 with a three-party contractual model involving local governments and state-owned human resources companies. Workers are mandated to remain employed for at least one year under this framework, which the report argues was specifically designed to appear compliant while maintaining coercive control.
What is the link between Xinjiang labour transfers and the global solar industry?
The report finds that the crystalline silicon solar industry remains deeply tied to Xinjiang production. US-bound solar modules are documented as using non-Xinjiang polysilicon, but the same manufacturers maintain significant Xinjiang operations. Chinese firms also shift manufacturing stages to third countries to claim non-Chinese origin — a tactic the report describes as deliberate circumvention of US trade law.
