CBP targeted 398 entries worth over $129.8 million for suspected use of forced labor in October 2022, including goods subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and withhold release orders, the agency said in its most recent operational update. That’s again down from the previous month (see 2210240024). CBP also seized nearly 1,174 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $302 million in October, and completed 12 audits that identified $2,000 in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government for goods that had been improperly declared, the agency said.
NEW YORK -- At the U.S. Fashion Industry Association trade conference, the group's Washington counsel said that he believes there's a high likelihood that the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill will be passed before Congress goes home in December. USFIA President Julia Hughes added that because some of the members who are retiring are pro-trade, and they recognize that sentiment is waning in Congress, "that's gonna be an impetus to do something during the lame duck. Whether they're successful or not, that's not clear yet."
A recent report by Reuters, which detailed how CBP detained 1,053 shipments related to solar panels over four months ended Oct. 25, drew an angry response from China and a warning from a customs lawyer whose firm is helping companies deal with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which took effect June 21 (see 2206210022).
NEW YORK -- CBP Executive Assistant Commissioner AnnMarie Highsmith, who leads the Office of Trade, told an audience of apparel professionals that CBP will be providing "some additional resources" on Nov. 16 to comply with the ban on importing goods made with forced labor. She didn't say what those are, but the comment came immediately after she said that the Department of Homeland Security will be continuing to update the entity list of firms connected to China's Xinjiang region.
NEW YORK -- The standard of proof for cotton importers is tremendously high, compliance officials said during a panel at the Nov. 10 Apparel Importers Trade and Transportation Conference.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
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CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The establishment of a “more practicable enforcement regime” for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act “needs to be front and center” for the U.S. government, Clearway Energy Group CEO Craig Cornelius said on an earnings call Nov. 2. Speaking during a call held to discuss third quarter earnings by subsidiary Clearway Energy Inc., Cornelius said the government needs to put ports in a position to handle the “dramatic” quantities of equipment that will need to enter the country to meet climate goals and the needs of the power grid.
CBP on Nov. 1 posted the latest version of its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) Trade Compliance program handbook. Version 2 updates the initial release of the handbook in July by revising language on the disclosure benefit and adding new sections of program requirements, including those related to forced labor announced in August (see 2208220040).