The solar panels used by the British were made by companies which apparently had a "very high" exposure to forced labour in China, according to the BBC. 
 
In China's Xinjiang region, the production of solar panels has been linked to Uyghur Muslims' alleged exploitation. 
 
Around £200 million is being invested by the British army in solar panels throughout the four of its sites. While responding to the BBC Freedom of Information request, the companies JA Solar, Trina and Qcells were listed by the Ministry of Defence as the solar panel suppliers. 
 
This year, a report published by the UK's Sheffield Hallam University in July flagged the three companies as having "very high" exposure to the production with the use of forced labour in Xinjiang.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/installing-solar-panels-more-eco-friendly-than-planting-trees-study-663013">Installing solar panels more eco-friendly than planting trees: Study</a>

Speaking to the BBC, JA Solar and Qcells said that some actions were taken by them to ensure that forced labour was not a part of their supply chains. 
 
Speaking to BBC, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence said, "We have robust procedures in place that allow us to vet and routinely monitor all aspects of our supply chain which is kept under constant review."

<h2>Lack of transparency in supply chain</h2>

However, one of the authors who wrote the Sheffield Hallam report, Alan Crawford, said that he had gone through the list of companies obtained by the BBC and added that he feels his findings still stood. 
 
Crawford, who is a chemical engineer and has experience in supplier identification, said that big solar firms were not likely to purchase components which they knew were the products of forced labour. 
 
He added that there was a "lack of transparency" in the supply chain because of which some firms had to "hide behind" their "anti-slavery declarations", as reported by BBC.

Watch:&nbsp;Floating an energy idea: Scientists install 400 floating solar panels

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/floating-an-energy-idea-scientists-install-400-floating-solar-panels-658280/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

United Kingdom's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been facing appeals to take a harder line against China and to end the reliance of the UK on solar production from the country. 
 
Senior Conservative MP Alicia Kearns has been appealing to the UK government to "sanction and [impose] a ban on any solar company with links to Uyghur forced labour from operating in the UK". 
 
The Chinese government has been accused by the United States of arbitrarily detaining more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang prison camps. 
 
As per the state-sponsored programmes, goods like polysilicon are forcefully produced by the detainees. Polysilicon is a core ingredient in solar panels, as per the US Department of Labour.

(With inputs from agencies)

The solar panels used by the British were made by companies which apparently had a "very high" exposure to forced labour in China, according to the BBC. In China's Xinjiang region, the production of solar panels has been linked to Uyghur Muslims' alleged exploitation.

The solar panels used by the British were made by companies which apparently had a "very high" exposure to forced labour in China, according to the BBC. In China's Xinjiang region, the production of solar panels has been linked to Uyghur Muslims' alleged exploitation. Around £200 million is being invested by the British army in solar panels throughout the four of its sites. While responding to the BBC Freedom of Information request, the companies JA Solar, Trina and Qcells were listed by the Ministry of Defence as the solar panel suppliers. This year, a report published by the UK's Sheffield Hallam University in July flagged the three companies as having "very high" exposure to the production with the use of forced labour in Xinjiang. Also read: Installing solar panels more eco-friendly than planting trees: Study Speaking to the BBC, JA Solar and Qcells said that some actions were taken by them to ensure that forced labour was not a part of their supply chains. Speaking to BBC, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence said, "We have robust procedures in place that allow us to vet and routinely monitor all aspects of our supply chain which is kept under constant review." Lack of transparency in supply chain However, one of the authors who wrote the Sheffield Hallam report, Alan Crawford, said that he had gone through the list of companies obtained by the BBC and added that he feels his findings still stood. Crawford, who is a chemical engineer and has experience in supplier identification, said that big solar firms were not likely to purchase components which they knew were the products of forced labour. He added that there was a "lack of transparency" in the supply chain because of which some firms had to "hide behind" their "anti-slavery declarations", as reported by BBC. Watch: Floating an energy idea: Scientists install 400 floating solar panels United Kingdom's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been facing appeals to take a harder line against China and to end the reliance of the UK on solar production from the country. Senior Conservative MP Alicia Kearns has been appealing to the UK government to "sanction and [impose] a ban on any solar company with links to Uyghur forced labour from operating in the UK". The Chinese government has been accused by the United States of arbitrarily detaining more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang prison camps. As per the state-sponsored programmes, goods like polysilicon are forcefully produced by the detainees. Polysilicon is a core ingredient in solar panels, as per the US Department of Labour. (With inputs from agencies)

British Army used solar panels manufactured by forced labour in China: Report

An Australian think tank, on Friday,&nbsp; has accused China of illegally demolishing thousands of&nbsp;mosques in the Xinjiang province.

The area&nbsp;&nbsp;has come to light for its inhumane treatment in the migrant camps and the widespread defiance of the human rights.

The group claims that the Asian country has destroyed nearly 16,000 mosques in the province.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/us-senators-citing-uighurs-urge-netflix-to-drop-planned-chinese-sci-fi-series-330091">Also read|&nbsp;US senators, citing Uighurs, urge Netflix to drop planned Chinese sci-fi series</a>

The report has been released by the&nbsp;Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) who used satellite imagery to document the claim.

As per the report, majority of the destruction of these mosques has taken place in the last three years, during which nearly 8,500 mosques have been destroyed, especially&nbsp;outside the urban centres of Urumqi and Kashgar.

The area has reportedly more than a million&nbsp;Uighurs and other Muslim minorities trapped in the camps. These minority groups are forced to abandon their religious practices and traditions but he Chinese officials.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-publishes-white-paper-applauding-employment-generated-in-xinjiang-328090">Also read|&nbsp;China publishes white paper applauding employment generated in Xinjiang</a>

The report also adds that nearly 15,500 mosques survived the demolition. However, these religious sites&nbsp;had their&nbsp;domes and minarets removed.

If correct, it would be the lowest number of Muslim houses of worship in the region since the decade of national upheaval sparked by the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.

As per the report, a third of the Islamic religious sites, such as shrines,&nbsp;cemeteries and pilgrimage routes have been completely destroyed.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-constructed-400-internment-camps-in-xinjiang-study-329842">Also read|&nbsp;China constructed 400 internment camps in Xinjiang: Study</a>

Interestingly, none of the Christian churches or the Buddhist temples in the area were destroyed during this time.

ASPI is not the only to make these claims. An AFP investigation, too, had revealed that dozens of cemeteries had been destroyed in the region, and the investgators had found human remains scattered across the land due to the destruction.

The Chinese government has, however, expectedly declined these accusations.&nbsp;China's foreign ministry has rubished the report as "anti-China report" that has&nbsp;"no academic credibility".

The&nbsp;Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin even claimed that there are nearly 24,000 mosques in the area.

"Xinjiang's total number of mosques is more than ten times the number in the US, and the average number of mosques per Muslim person is higher than in some Muslim countries," Wang told a regular press briefing.

An Australian think tank, on Friday, has accused China of illegally demolishing thousands of mosques in the Xinjiang province. The area has come to light for its inhumane treatment in the migrant camps and the widespread defiance of the human rights.

An Australian think tank, on Friday, has accused China of illegally demolishing thousands of mosques in the Xinjiang province. The area has come to light for its inhumane treatment in the migrant camps and the widespread defiance of the human rights. The group claims that the Asian country has destroyed nearly 16,000 mosques in the province. Also read| US senators, citing Uighurs, urge Netflix to drop planned Chinese sci-fi series The report has been released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) who used satellite imagery to document the claim. As per the report, majority of the destruction of these mosques has taken place in the last three years, during which nearly 8,500 mosques have been destroyed, especially outside the urban centres of Urumqi and Kashgar. The area has reportedly more than a million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities trapped in the camps. These minority groups are forced to abandon their religious practices and traditions but he Chinese officials. Also read| China publishes white paper applauding employment generated in Xinjiang The report also adds that nearly 15,500 mosques survived the demolition. However, these religious sites had their domes and minarets removed. If correct, it would be the lowest number of Muslim houses of worship in the region since the decade of national upheaval sparked by the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. As per the report, a third of the Islamic religious sites, such as shrines, cemeteries and pilgrimage routes have been completely destroyed. Also read| China constructed 400 internment camps in Xinjiang: Study Interestingly, none of the Christian churches or the Buddhist temples in the area were destroyed during this time. ASPI is not the only to make these claims. An AFP investigation, too, had revealed that dozens of cemeteries had been destroyed in the region, and the investgators had found human remains scattered across the land due to the destruction. The Chinese government has, however, expectedly declined these accusations. China's foreign ministry has rubished the report as "anti-China report" that has "no academic credibility". The Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin even claimed that there are nearly 24,000 mosques in the area. "Xinjiang's total number of mosques is more than ten times the number in the US, and the average number of mosques per Muslim person is higher than in some Muslim countries," Wang told a regular press briefing.

Nearly 16,000 mosques destroyed in Xinjiang by China: Australian think tank

The items include cotton, garments, hair products and electronics from five specific manufacturers in Xinjiang as well as adjacent Anhui.

US restricts imports from China's Xinjiang region for 'forced labour'