CBP has detained train car components from China intended for use by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, according to reporting by NBC10 Boston. In May, CBP seized imports of car shells and other components made by Chinese state-owned company CRRC, under suspicion that the company violated the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. CRRC MA, the Massachusetts-based subsidiary of CRRC, issued a statement saying that the company has "maintained rigorous compliance reviews of all suppliers and confirms that no entity involved in these shipments is linked to any violation" of UFLPA, according to the TV station's report. The statement said that CRRC MA has been "providing documentation to CBP to demonstrate full compliance," the station reported.
CBP unlawfully excluded importer Agri Spray Drones' entries of drone controllers without explanation, the importer argued in a June 30 complaint at the Court of International Trade (Agri Spray Drones v. United States, CIT # 25-00141).
The Senate passed the Trump tax bill with a tie-breaking vote from the vice president on July 1. The House of Representatives will vote on whether it will accept the Senate's changes to its bill.
The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force failed to undertake a transparent process in considering exporter Ninestar's application for delisting from the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, Ninestar told the Court of International Trade on June 26. Ninestar said FLETF's process was neither "fair, transparent," nor "productive," and led the task force to ignore its obligations and the company's rights under the Administrative Procedure Act (Ninestar Corp. v. United States, CIT # 23-00182).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee asked the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to brief them on what it is going to do to combat the Chinese government's transfers of Uyghur workers to other provinces, thereby avoiding the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act ban on imports. They also asked what is the interagency task force's "plan for engagement with the private sector to improve compliance with the UFPLA."
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
CBP is launching the Forced Labor Allegation Portal, which the agency says will allow trade users to submit forced labor allegations anonymously. Users of CBP's Trade Violations Reporting systems will be directed to this new portal.
Members of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend that CBP beef up its communications with the trade by providing more transparency over when CBP updates the FAQs that the agency has been using to inform the trade on how it's implementing new tariffs.
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.