One of the leaders in the move to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act recently introduced a new bill that would require the administration to enforce the ban on goods made with child labor, particularly cobalt and lithium.
Sheffield Hallam University issued reports detailing Uyghur forced labor in the cotton, polysilicon, PVC and metals industries presaged withhold release orders and detentions against goods containing those inputs. Now, its Forced Labor Lab is offering the public a massive list of companies that operate in the Uyghur region, whose products are therefore considered to be made with forced labor unless importers can prove otherwise.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
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Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican who said he was tough on China before more senators got on the bandwagon, said corporate interests and U.S. interests have diverged when it comes to globalization. Rubio, who represents Florida, was speaking at a American Compass event June 21 on Capitol Hill.
CBP stopped 4,269 imports worth more than $1.39 billion for Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act-related reviews and enforcement actions from June 21, 2022, through May 29, the agency said in a document released June 21. About 16% of those shipments, worth more than $40 million, were denied entry, CBP said. About 38%, worth more than $643 million, were released into U.S. commerce during that time frame. CBP said 46% of those shipments, worth more than $711 million, are still pending action from the importer or CBP.
Chinese online shopping platform Temu has no procedures to comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which “all but guarantees” imports from the company violate the UFLPA, the House Select Committee on China said this week. In a new report, the committee said both Temu and Chinese online retailer Shein “rely heavily” on the de minimis exception when shipping packages to the U.S., allowing them to avoid CBP scrutiny of potential forced labor violations.
CBP will “stand ready” to implement any changes Congress may make to forced labor enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Eric Choy, executive director of CBP’s Trade Remedy and Law Enforcement Division, said in remarks June 21.