A CBP spokesperson recommended that companies seeking to ensure their supply chains are free of forced labor consider conducting a third-party audit of their supply chain, according to comments supplied by the agency when International Trade Today sought CBP's feedback on recent allegations that outdoor lifestyle retailer REI might have forced labor in its supply chain (see 2501020035).
A December report from the Labor Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst alleges that outdoor lifestyle retailer REI has not been vigilant about ensuring the prevention of forced labor in its supply chain. REI said it's "deeply committed" to holding supply partners to "the highest standards of accountability."
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the weeks of Dec. 16-22 and 23-29:
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The Southern Shrimp Alliance again requested that Chinese company Rongcheng Sanyue Foodstuff Co., Ltd., be added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s Entity List, in a letter sent Dec. 30 to DHS' Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force.
As customs brokers seek to employ artificial intelligence, expect government regulators to observe but not necessarily hand down heavy-handed guidance on using AI tools to conduct customs business, according to trade and AI experts International Trade Today interviewed.
Aluminum extrusions exporter Kingtom Aluminio, which operates out of the Dominican Republic, brought a complaint to the Court of International Trade on Dec. 23 to challenge CBP’s finding that the exporter had used forced labor (Kingtom Aluminio v. U.S., CIT # 24-00264).
CBP processed more than 2.8 million entry summaries valued at more than $283 billion in November, with duties estimated at nearly $6.97 billion, the agency said Dec. 19 in a monthly update.
The Canadian government intends to create a new framework for eradicating forced labor from supply chains, its minister of export promotion, international trade and economic development, Mary Ng, said in a Dec. 18 response statement. The proposed legislation would require government entities and businesses "to scrutinize their international supply chains for risks to fundamental labour rights and take action to resolve these risks," and, "a new oversight agency will be created to ensure ongoing compliance."
Venable lawyers said no one knows whether President-elect Donald Trump will hike tariffs on China by 10 percentage points, by 60 percentage points, or bring current tariff levels to 60%. Nor does anyone know if the threat of 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican exports will become reality.