Two of the solar-panel companies that Erik Solheim mentioned favorably in an op-ed have been linked to forced-labor abuses.
A former top U.N. official lavished praise on China’s green-energy industry in the Xinjiang region, where Beijing is carrying out widespread human-rights abuses against ethnic minorities.
The official, Erik Solheim, a former director of the U.N. Environmental Programme, published a piece in the Chinese Communist Party’s China Daily propaganda outlet last month about a trip he and his daughter took to Xinjiang.
The article made no mention of well-documented evidence that party officials have carried out an extensive mass-detention program targeting ethnic minorities, nor of U.S. government or U.N. findings on the atrocities, which Washington considers genocide.
Instead, Solheim marveled at what he characterized as China’s green-energy advancements. “It was like stepping into a vision of the future — endless stretches of desert now home to the world’s largest single photovoltaic project,” wrote Solheim, also a former Norwegian minister of climate and the environment, of arriving in the Xinjiang city of Urumqi.
The piece described his stop at a wind-energy site. The piece argued that Western fears about China’s overcapacity in green-technology production are overblown and that Europe and the U.S. should “roll out a red carpet” for Chinese firms. Two of the solar-panel companies he mentioned have been linked by researchers to forced-labor abuses.
Solheim also advocated a “people-centered approach” that invites “local communities” into decisions about the adoption of renewable-energy sources.
But Solheim — who provided lengthy answers to National Review’s initial questions about his affiliation with a Chinese government-linked body, the nature of his op-ed, and the situation in Xinjiang — did not respond to a follow-up email asking, a second time, about China’s abuses against Uyghurs.
“China has become the one indispensable nation for green development. This should be appreciated, not least by the US which long called for China to do more to fight global warming. My aim is to help Europe and America competing better with China on electric cars and batteries, solar panels and wind mills,” he said.
Solheim resigned his role as U.N. environment chief in 2018, amid an investigation into allegations that he excessively used U.N. resources for travel. Solheim said at the time that he paid back some of the money.
Solheim’s ties to the Chinese government are extensive. In 2023 he received China’s “Friendship Award” from premier Li Qiang. He has also referred to China’s Belt and Road Initiative global-infrastructure project as a “resounding success” and frequently praises other aspects of China’s environmental record. Solheim told NR that his “relationship to the Chinese government is exactly the same as when I work with the US government.”
The Chinese-government-linked body with which Solheim maintains an affiliation is called the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development. Solheim told NR that the organization is “completely open” about its ties to the government and the direct involvement of several Chinese officials in its meetings.
“The reason why so many foreign governments and institutions are partners of China Council is exactly that it gives access to top level Chinese decision makers and an opportunity to influence decisions in one of the worlds most important nations,” Solheim said, adding that he would join an American organization of a similar character were one to be established. He also said that several other former Norwegian officials are involved in the organization.
In a 2022 analysis published at the Jamestown Institute think tank, Filip Jirouš, a Czech researcher, wrote that CCICED is part of Beijing’s larger political-influence efforts targeting foreigners. He cited the involvement of individuals who previously worked for other CCP influence organs: “The presence of these individuals suggests that CCICED also serves influence purposes, exploiting foreign government officials and NGO heads (including the Canadian minister of environment) — who are given what appear to be mere token positions on the council — for green-washing propaganda while receiving money.”
Solheim denied that he has any sort of financial relationship with the council. “I have never received as much as one dollar from the China Council. Even my tickets to China have in most cases been paid by the Norwegian government, the UN, civil society groups or business cooperations,” he wrote.