The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force failed to undertake a transparent process in considering exporter Ninestar's application for delisting from the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, Ninestar told the Court of International Trade on June 26. Ninestar said FLETF's process was neither "fair, transparent," nor "productive," and led the task force to ignore its obligations and the company's rights under the Administrative Procedure Act (Ninestar Corp. v. United States, CIT # 23-00182).
As CBP continues to ramp up enforcement of U.S. import compliance, one issue some industry experts want CBP to address is what the agency's increased enforcement means for the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, or CTPAT, according to comments from panelists during a June 27 session of a conference sponsored by the American Association of Exporters and Importers.
Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee asked the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to brief them on what it is going to do to combat the Chinese government's transfers of Uyghur workers to other provinces, thereby avoiding the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act ban on imports. They also asked what is the interagency task force's "plan for engagement with the private sector to improve compliance with the UFPLA."
A report on forced labor in critical mineral supply chains identified "major entities" operating in the Xinjiang province of China and documented evidence of their involvement in labor transfer programs of Uyghurs from the region. The report also highlighted the risk that products made by those entities have entered the global market over the previous two years.
CBP's Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee will be holding its quarterly meeting on June 18 in Washington, D.C., according to a Federal Register notice.
Chinese companies on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List are establishing subsidiaries away from Xinjiang to avoid U.S. scrutiny, risk intelligence firm Kharon said May 20.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the weeks of March 17-23, March 23-30, March 31 - April 6, April 7-13, April 14-20 and April 21-27:
Many pharmaceutical products sold in the U.S. could have significant exposure to forced labor from their China-based supply chains, according to a report from risk management company Exiger.
Retail companies with any level of exposure in their supply chains to Chinese companies or products need to be taking proactive steps to ensure that they will not fall afoul of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act enforcement, a compliance expert told importers in a webinar hosted by Logistics Brief.