International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Oct. 18-22 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Congressional-Executive Commission on China Co-Chairman Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and ranking member Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., asked the CEO of Universal Electronics to explain who authorized the hiring of transferred Uyghur laborers at its Chinese factories, what the daily reports to the police about those Uyghurs say, and what documentation the company has to back up its assertion that none of its Chinese factories use forced labor.
CBP issued a withhold release order on “fresh tomatoes produced by the tomato farm Agropecuarios Tom S.A. de C.V., and Horticola S.A de C.V., and their subsidiaries." the agency said Oct. 21. The WRO is a result of "information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor against its workers," CBP said. Forced labor indicators found by CBP included "abuse of vulnerability, deception, withholding of wages, debt bondage, and abusive working and living conditions," it said.
CBP issued a withhold release order on “disposable gloves produced by Supermax Corporation Bhd.’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, Maxter Glove Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., Maxwell Glove Manufacturing Bhd., and Supermax Glove Manufacturing," the agency said in a news release Oct. 20. “With 10 of the 11 forced labor indicators identified during the course of our investigation, CBP has sufficient evidence to conclude that Supermax Corporation Bhd. and its subsidiaries produce gloves in violation of U.S. trade law,” said CBP Office of Trade Executive Assistant Commissioner AnnMarie Highsmith. “Until the manufacturers can prove their manufacturing processes are free of forced labor, their goods are not welcome here.” Supermax was one of several Malaysian companies named in recent forced labor allegations from Andy Hall, a British human rights activist (see 2105240022).
Senate Democrats would like to increase funding for CBP's Office of Trade by $10 million to better identify and prevent entry of goods made with forced labor, and an additional $10 million for trade enforcement, including the 21st Century Framework initiative, enforcement of safeguard and sections 232 and 301 tariffs, and going after online counterfeiting.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Oct. 11-15 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
RANCHO MIRAGE, California -- Lawyers are seeing a rise in cases filed against customs brokers for failing to meet their fiduciary duties, said Cameron Roberts, a Roberts & Kehagiaras trade attorney. Many of the cases involve importers who allege their brokers didn’t correctly advise them about issues related to forced labor, Section 301 tariffs and certain agriculture imports, he said. “All of these issues are being put at the foot of the broker,” Roberts said, speaking during the Oct. 15 Western Cargo Conference.
Even with the surge of migrants crossing the Mexican border, the nominee to lead CBP fielded plenty of questions on trade during his appearance in front of the Senate Finance Committee. Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told him, "This committee has a special interest in ensuring that CBP’s trade mission doesn’t get short shrift. Enforcing trade laws vigorously and working to stay a step ahead of trade cheats is key to protecting jobs, businesses and innovators in America, and CBP is right at the heart of that challenge. Too often in the past, including during the Trump administration, trade enforcement has been a secondary issue for CBP." He said his committee "is going to continue looking for ways to strengthen our trade enforcement even further."
RANCHO MIRAGE, California -- Two CBP officials acknowledged the continuing struggles faced by importers conducting forced labor due diligence and said the agency is working to make its investigations and detentions more transparent (see 2107210040). As CBP continues to issue withhold release orders (see 2103120051), AnnMarie Highsmith, CBP’s executive assistant commissioner in the Office of Trade, said the agency is hoping to better address importer concerns and encouraged feedback on enforcement efforts.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai called on the World Trade Organization to conclude the fisheries subsidies agreement, and said that discussions in Geneva about how to revive the Appellate Body should instead focus on what could incentivize countries to reach an agreement before years and years of litigation.