Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., asked CBP how it will "ensure that no solar panels or solar panel components are imported directly or indirectly from ... [China] that are tainted by Uyghur forced labor?"
The House-Senate compromise defense bill does not include the Inform Consumers Act, an amendment that was part of the Senate bill, which would have required that high-volume sellers online be identified and reachable. Trade groups that represent intellectual property rights holders had hoped that the bill would become law this year since it had been part of a different House package and was in the Senate bill (see 2210260087).
CBP will soon launch new “interactive” tools on its website, along with additional guidance and frequently asked questions, to help industry comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said. Miller said the agency has been exploring ways to better aid U.S. importers as they navigate increasingly “complex global supply chains” and vet suppliers who may be using forced labor.
Clarification: A Roth Capital analyst said that JinkoSolar modules detained on suspicion of forced labor "may have just been released" by CBP, and the analyst believes "this could result in a ramp up of volume and imports.” JinkoSolar “likely has a substantial amount of Hoshine WRO & UFLPA backlog to get through,” the analyst said (see 2212050039).
Researchers at Sheffield University, who previously documented ties to Uyghur forced labor in the cotton, solar panel supply chain and luxury vinyl tile sectors, now say that international car companies could be purchasing steel and aluminum that they use in car frames, axles, bodies, engine casings, wheels and brakes from Xinjiang, and that tires, windshields, batteries, car seats, circuit boards, central control systems, safety control systems, touchscreens, transformers, inductors, connectors and wiring solutions are all touched by forced labor.
A Roth Capital analyst said that JinkoSolar modules detained on suspicion of forced labor "may have just been released" by CBP, and the analyst believes "this could result in a ramp up of volume and imports.” JinkoSolar “likely has a substantial amount of Hoshine WRO & UFLPA backlog to get through,” the analyst said.
At the first U.S.-EU Trade and Labor Dialogue, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs Thea Lee and European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis talked about leveraging trade tools between the United States and the European Union to eliminate forced labor in the global economy," according to a USTR readout of the Dec. 5 meeting.
A readout of a Dec. 1 meeting between U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Mexican Economy Secretary Raquel Buenrostro, a new appointee, said Tai "reiterated the importance" of Mexico imposing a ban on the import of goods made with forced labor. Tai also said it's urgent consultations over what the U.S. sees as discriminatory investment policies in Mexico's energy sector make "meaningful progress."
CBP’s recently announced global business identifier pilot program (see 2212010046) is a “big first step” toward “greater clarity and greater accountability for the accuracy of data,” and its results could prove a boon to enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act for both CBP and importers, trade lawyer John Foote said Dec. 2 on his blog Forced Labor & Trade. UFLPA enforcement is dependent on sub-tier manufacturers and raw material producers, and the GBI pilot promises delve deeper in the supply chain than the problematic manufacturer ID currently used on entry documentation by obtaining the unique identities of the manufacturer, shipper and seller, as well as optionally the exporter, distributor and packager, Foote said. “[T]he GBI pilot is certainly a big first step in the direction of greater clarity and greater accountability for the accuracy of data. It will be interesting to see whether it is a success,” he said.
CBP will in 2023 begin testing two projects under the DHS Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) “that will connect CBP with trade users,” the agency said in a document released ahead of an upcoming meeting of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee. The projects are being used to “verify some ACE 2.0 concepts” to inform CBP’s development of ACE 2.0, “which could begin as early as 2025,” CBP said.