China was welcome to be part of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), as the membership of the 116-country compact was open to all, R.K. Singh, Minister for Power and Renewable Energy, said at the inaugural session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly here on Tuesday.
“The membership of the International Solar Alliance is open to all member states of the United Nations and everyone is welcome to join,” Mr. Singh, who’s also Co-President, ISA Assembly, said in response to a question from The Hindu on why China, despite being the largest producer and supplier of solar panels globally, wasn’t a member of the group which was formed in 2015 under the leadership of India and France.
“It is true that 80% of the manufacturing capacity, polysilicon wafers and above, is in China. However, there is a need to diversify manufacturing and this was particularly apparent during the pandemic. So most countries have now set up their own manufacturing facilities,” Mr. Singh said.
