Report warns UK’s green targets rely on China despite supply chain risks
A report by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China warns that Britain’s climate targets depend on Chinese-made clean energy technology, raising concerns about forced labour, unfair trade and security vulnerabilities. It says the UK faces a choice between accepting medium-term reliance on China and finding ways to control the risks in its supply chains.
China dominates production of solar panels, wind turbine blades and components for electric car batteries, and has a near monopoly in polysilicon and rare earth minerals. The report says Chinese turbines can cost up to 40 per cent less than European rivals, while disrupted supplies of Chinese magnets could halt offshore wind development within months; it also cites unpatched software flaws as a risk to energy security. The UK has blocked a proposed Chinese turbine factory in Scotland on national security grounds, and ministers have agreed that GB Energy should avoid solar panels linked to slave labour.
- A report says UK climate goals depend on Chinese clean energy supply chains.
- It cites forced labour concerns and software risks to energy security.
- A disruption to Chinese magnet supplies could stall offshore wind projects.
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The UK is moving away from fossil fuels and towards sources such as wind and solar power, alongside electric cars. These technologies depend on materials and components made around the world, including in China, which produces much of the world’s solar equipment and battery supply chain.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China is a group of politicians from different countries that examines their governments’ relations with China. Its report raises questions about the UK’s reliance on Chinese-made equipment, including concerns about forced labour, trade fairness and security risks from disrupted supplies or vulnerable software.
The issue matters because limiting imports could make clean energy projects more expensive or slower to build, while relying heavily on one country could leave projects exposed to supply problems. The UK has already blocked a proposed Chinese turbine factory in Scotland on national security grounds, and ministers have said GB Energy should avoid solar panels linked to forced labour.
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The case for
Using Chinese-made clean energy technology could help the UK meet climate targets more quickly and affordably, given China’s scale and lower prices and the difficulty of replacing its near-monopoly in some materials. A thoughtful advocate of this approach would argue that diversified sourcing, labour safeguards and security checks can manage the risks while avoiding delays to renewable energy and the costs of building alternative supply chains.
The case against
Heavy reliance on Chinese supply chains could expose the UK’s energy transition to disruption, security vulnerabilities and alleged forced labour, while weakening domestic industrial capacity. A thoughtful advocate of reducing that reliance would argue that investment in UK and allied suppliers, alongside careful screening of imports, is needed to make the energy system more resilient and ensure climate goals do not come at the expense of security or labour standards.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Britain is dependent on China to meet green targets, new report warns amid fears of forced labour and security risks in solar panels and wind turbines”.