The U.S. and Taiwan this week agreed to soon begin trade talks under a new initiative aimed at increasing trade in goods and removing “discriminatory barriers,” the Office of U.S. Trade Representative said. The negotiations, which USTR said are set to begin “early this fall,” also will include discussions on trade facilitation measures, anti-corruption, agriculture, technology standards, digital trade, labor and non-market policies. The U.S. and Taiwan plan to “pursue an ambitious schedule” for the talks, Deputy USTR Sarah Bianchi said, adding the discussions will result in a “fairer, more prosperous and resilient 21st century economy.”
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Several Chinese companies that make solar panels that are imported into the U.S. should be added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list, the Coalition for a Prosperous America said in an Aug. 10 letter to the leaders of DHS and CBP. CPA, a domestic industry trade group, noted a recent report that solar panels have been stopped by CBP. A withhold release order should also be issued against goods imported by affiliated companies, it said. Specifically, CPA said the following companies should be added to the list:
Entities named on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list can ask for removal through a request to the forced labor enforcement task force, DHS said in a recent notice. "In the removal request, the entity (or its designated representative) should provide information that demonstrates that the entity no longer meets or does not meet the criteria" of the UFLPA, it said. "Upon receipt of the removal request, the FLETF Chair or the Chair's designated representative may contact the entity on behalf of the FLETF regarding questions on the removal request and may request additional information. Following review of the removal request by the FLETF member agencies, the decision to remove an entity from the UFLPA Entity List will be made by majority vote of the FLETF member agencies." Entities can also request a meeting with the FLETF, it said. FLETF member agencies can also recommend additions to the list, it said. "The decision to add an entity to the UFLPA Entity List will be made by majority vote of the FLETF member agencies," it said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative heard from business groups, businesses that offer traceability solutions and civil society groups, 45 in all, on how to shape a forced labor strategy -- but their views diverged strongly on what the approach should be.
A little over a month since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act rebuttable presumption took effect, no importer so far has successfully overcome that presumption, Elva Muneton, acting executive director of the UFLPA Implementation Task Force said, speaking Aug. 3 during the CBP Detroit Field Office's Virtual Trade Week. "Thirty days into this. I have not seen any documentation that has been able to overcome the rebuttable presumption," she said. But, "it's only been 30 days so I think the documentation for a lot of the shippers that are detained are being assembled to be submitted to CBP. That's what I'm guessing is happening."
A new strategic partnership between the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking and international non-governmental organization Liberty Shared will help in the fight against forced labor, DHS said in a news release. "The partnership with Liberty Shared, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed this week, will enable CCHT to further streamline intelligence, initiate new criminal investigations, and advance ongoing investigations to hold corporations and individual perpetrators accountable," DHS said.
Although President Joe Biden criticized President Donald Trump's China tariffs on the campaign trail, Peterson Institute for International Economics Senior Fellow Chad Bown said he always thought it was unlikely Biden would roll any of them back, because there are "huge political costs" to doing so, because opponents could label you as "weak on China."
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
A Bank of America Securities research note said analysts believe the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act has been a "greater challenge than expected" for solar panel manufacturers, and at least three different suppliers' shipments have been detained in the first month since the law began to be enforced.