Exporter Camel Group defended its motion to unredact and re-designate part of the administrative record in its case against its placement on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, arguing on July 18 that the government won't suffer harm if Camel Group's lawyers can share the documents with the company. The exporter claimed that the government's interest in shielding the documents is "tarnished by continued inconsistencies in its designation" (Camel Group Co. v. United States, CIT # 25-00022).
Alexander Fried, trade attorney at the Commerce Department, has left the agency, he announced on LinkedIn. Fried worked as an attorney adviser at Commerce since September 2022, advising the International Trade Administration on various issues, including digital service taxes, implementing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, UFLPA litigation, and trade remedies investigations and litigation.
How the Trump administration chooses to define transshipment has the potential to redefine the current trading system with Southeast Asian countries, trade lawyers said. The recent trade deal framework with Vietnam contained a 40% tariff rate for "transshipped" goods, which is a different approach than previously employed for transshipment (see 2507080028).
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 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).
As CBP continues to ramp up enforcement of U.S. import compliance, one issue some industry experts want CBP to address is what the agency's increased enforcement means for the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, or CTPAT, according to comments from panelists during a June 27 session of a conference sponsored by the American Association of Exporters and Importers.
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."
A report on forced labor in critical mineral supply chains identified "major entities" operating in the Xinjiang province of China and documented evidence of their involvement in labor transfer programs of Uyghurs from the region. The report also highlighted the risk that products made by those entities have entered the global market over the previous two years.
CBP's Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee will be holding its quarterly meeting on June 18 in Washington, D.C., according to a Federal Register notice.