Tai Says Autos Have Forced Labor Content
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, just before she signed a memorandum of cooperation with Japan on fighting forced labor (see 2301050039), suggested that auto or auto parts imports could be in CBP crosshairs after a British university alleged that many cars could have content touched by Chinese forced labor.
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"To make the global trading system more resilient and sustainable, we must address forced labor at each stage of our supply chains. Whether it’s the cotton in the clothes we wear or metals in the cars we drive, such abuses threaten to undermine the very foundations of our system," Tai said.
The memorandum, signed Jan. 6, said that since Japan and the U.S. recognize "that violations of internationally recognized labor rights -- including forced labor -- should never be used to gain an unfair competitive advantage in the global trading system," they are going to form a task force that is going to examine best practices, guidance and lessons learned in working to eradicate forced labor in sectors with forced labor risk. It is also going to look at laws, policies and enforcement practices in the U.S. and Japan that address forced labor.
The task force also will invite stakeholder participation. The memorandum says, "Stakeholders may include worker organizations; businesses, including trade associations; and civil society, including survivors, involved in various aspects of promoting international labor standards, including combatting and eradicating forced labor in supply chains."
They will ask these stakeholders to tell them the effects of the trade policies and regulations in Japan and the U.S. related to eliminating forced labor and to share best practices on human rights due diligence in supply chains.