Many pharmaceutical products sold in the U.S. could have significant exposure to forced labor from their China-based supply chains, according to a report from risk management company Exiger.
Retail companies with any level of exposure in their supply chains to Chinese companies or products need to be taking proactive steps to ensure that they will not fall afoul of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act enforcement, a compliance expert told importers in a webinar hosted by Logistics Brief.
China’s State Council this week released a white paper on economic and trade relations with the U.S., criticizing the U.S. government’s imposition of tariffs and export controls and saying that the two sides should strive toward “mutually beneficial cooperation.” The white paper seeks to “clarify the facts about China-US economic and trade relations and illustrate China's policy stance on relevant issues,” it says, according to an unofficial translation.
Singapore-headquartered Maxeon Solar Technologies is considering a challenge to CBP's decision to hold its solar panels for alleged non-compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, it said in an April 4 news release. The company said that it is "considering exercising its right to contest CBP's decision at the U.S. Court of International Trade to demonstrate that Maxeon's legacy supply chains are fully UFLPA-compliant."
CBP is still holding up DJI's shipments of drones into the U.S., according to an interview with a spokesman for the company recounted in a trade publication about commercial unmanned aerial vehicles.
Robust communication with importers’ suppliers, as well as using publicly available alternative data sets, are two ways that companies can ensure UFPLA compliance, especially in an environment of uncertainty about how much the White House will focus on forced labor in the supply chain, according to speakers participating on two webinars hosted by Kharon last week.
Customs brokers and importers are still grappling with how to comply with the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum derivatives that went into effect just after midnight on March 12 (see 2503120054).
Of the 4,437 shipments that CBP has flagged for potential violations of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act since the start of the federal government's 2025 fiscal year in October, nearly 88% of those shipments are from the automotive and aerospace industries, according to CBP data released in mid-February. The data reflects volumes between Oct. 1, 2024 and Jan. 31, 2025.
The House Committee on Homeland Security issued its oversight plan for the year, and only mentioned trade once, when it wrote that it plans to "review the Department’s efforts to better facilitate legitimate trade and travel with updates to trusted traveler programs and expansion of CBP Preclearance locations."
CBP's Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee will be holding its quarterly meeting on March 5 in Atlanta, according to a Federal Register notice.