A maker of disposable gloves in Malaysia submitted an independent auditor's report in order to prove there is no forced labor in its supply chain, the company said in a news release. Gloves manufactured by Top Glove are subject to a withhold release order issued in July (see 2007150032). “The report was developed following the completion of verification work performed on its labour practices by the independent consultant, which entailed virtual interviews of about 1,100 of the company’s migrant and local workers across various locations,” it said. Active engagement by Top Glove with CBP “is ongoing and Top Glove looks forward to an expeditious upliftment of the Withhold Release Order,” it said.
CBP may issue a withhold release order aimed at cotton goods from the Xinjiang region of China, according to a report in The New York Times. The report follows a recent request from human rights groups for a broad ban on all cotton goods from the region (see 2009010059). The precise breadth of such an order isn't clear, the report said. There is growing administration scrutiny of the use of forced labor in the region, and other recent actions foreshadowed more enforcement on the import side (see 2008250018). Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that CBP is looking at WROs on goods from six specific companies -- “three that operate in the cotton, textile and apparel industries, one in computer parts and two in hair products.” Among the mentioned companies are the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and the Xinjiang Junggar Cotton and Linen Co., it said. CBP didn't comment.
CBP should block imports of “all cotton-made goods linked to the Xinjiang region of China based on evidence of widespread forced labor,” human rights groups said in a recent news release. The coalition, which includes the AFL-CIO, the Uyghur Human Rights Project and the Human Trafficking Legal Center, filed a petition with the agency Aug. 28 to request a withhold release order on such products. “Industry groups have repeatedly requested clear guidance from the US government and a regional WRO would provide it,” the coalition said.
With a month left to go before the expiration of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act benefits program, some lobbyists are starting to worry that a renewal won't get done. Beth Hughes, vice president of trade and customs policy for the American Apparel and Footwear Association, said Aug. 31 that her organization has been contacting the trade staffers at the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee since April or May, reminding them that the expiration is coming up. About a month ago, the trade staffers from both chambers were telling her that while they are aware of the deadline, they wanted to make sure that the administration supports renewal.
Recent Treasury Department sanctions and Commerce Department entity list additions imposed for the use of forced labor in China's Xinjiang Province could indicate coming action by CBP to restrict imports from the region, Arent Fox lawyers posted Aug. 25. Among those sanctioned by Treasury was the “Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which reportedly produces more than 7 percent of the world’s cotton,” the firm said. “[D]ue to the tie-in, the Administration has drawn between the entity and forced labor in the Xinjiang Province, there is a risk that garments made from cotton produced by XPCC could be subject” to CBP withhold release orders (WROs). Similarly, Commerce added multiple Chinese textile and apparel companies to the entity list, which means “there is a risk that garments made from Entity List entities who are listed due to forced labor allegations could be subject to a CBP WRO.” CBP didn't comment.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories from Aug. 17-21 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories from Aug. 10-14 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
CBP issued a withhold release order for imported "seafood harvested by the Da Wang, a Vanuatu-flagged, Taiwan-owned distant water fishing vessel," CBP said in a news release . Effective Aug. 18, CBP will stop seafood from the vessel at all U.S. ports of entry, it said.
The stevia importer that paid CBP $575,000 over allegations of using forced labor (see 2008140016) said the payment was the result of a settlement with the agency and didn't include any admission of guilt. CBP touted the enforcement action against PureCircle U.S.A. as the first such penalty the agency issued since the forced labor laws were changed in 2016. “Rather than engage in extensive litigation requiring travel to China during the COVID-19 pandemic to challenge the penalty notices, PureCircle instead settled the matter with the U.S. government for less than 7% of the amount sought by CBP in penalties,” the company said in a news release Aug. 14.
CBP has collected its first penalty for imports produced with forced labor, the agency said in a news release. Pure Circle U.S.A. paid $575,000 for importing stevia processed in China using prison labor. The action stems from an investigation into Chinese stevia produced by Inner Mongolia Hengzheng Group Baoanzhao Agricultural and Trade LLC that resulted in a withhold release order in May 2016 (see 1605310019).