Global Trade Talks is a podcast that shares brief perspectives on key global issues on international trade, current events, business, law, and public policy as they impact our lives. In this session, hosts and International Trade Practice Leaders Nicole Simonian and Dj Wolff talk with Crowell lawyers David Stepp and Simeon Yerokun about Uyghur Forced
UFLPA
DHS Adds Chinese Firms to Entity List for UFLPA Violations
Following the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (“Chinese Select Committee”) request in January calling for a strengthened enforcement of the UFLPA, DHS adds 26 new entities to the UFLPA entity list.
The United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced today the addition…
Withhold Release Order Issued on Shanghai Select Safety Products and Subsidiaries
17 months since it’s last issuance of a Withhold Release Order (WRO), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revives its enforcement mechanism to target a Chinese importer and its affiliates operating in the safety products industry.
Effective Wednesday, April 10, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will detain work gloves manufactured by Shanghai Select…
EU Acts to Ban Forced Labor Imports
The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a provisional deal on regulations banning forced labor in European Union supply chains. The legislative proposal supports the EU’s goals of prohibiting the use of forced labor in manufacturing, applying to both manufacturing within Europe and also to goods imported from abroad. This…
Luxury automobiles from China detained by CBP over forced labor violations
“Several thousands” of vehicles from German luxury brands including Porsche, Bentley, and Audi have been detained at U.S. ports following the discovery of a Chinese subcomponent violating U.S. anti-forced labor laws. The parent company, Volkswagen Group, had sourced a key electronic component through a supplier further down the company’s supply chain and was unaware of…
New Reports Document Best Practices for Avoiding Uyghur Forced Labor in RE Supply Chains
Jan. 25, 2024—The United Kingdom (“UK”)-based Anti-Slavery International, in combination with the Investor Alliance for Human Rights and the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University, has published a series of reports addressing the issue of forced labor in solar and electric vehicle supply chains relating to Uyghur and other Turkic ethnic…
DHS adds three Chinese entities to UFLPA Entity List
On December 8, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced the addition of three People’s Republic of China (“PRC”)-based companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) Entity List as part of the ongoing effort to eliminate forced labor practices in U.S. supply chains. The addition of these three entities—COFCO Sugar Holding Co. Ltd…
Detained Shipments Exceeding $1.3 Billion in UFLPA’s First Year
A year following the commencement of the UFPLA (Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act) in June 2022, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has apprehended nearly 4,300 shipments subject to UFLPA review or enforcement actions, with a combined value exceeding $1.3 billion. According to the agency’s data, this represents a significant increase compared to the $485 million…
CBP Issues Minimal UFLPA Guidance: What We Know Based on WRO Detentions of Goods Alleged to be Made from Forced Labor in the XUAR Region.
With just over two weeks until the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) goes into effect on June 21, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued very minimal guidance to the importing community on how it will enforce the legislation. In webinars and meetings conducted by CBP last week, CBP stated that it…
CBP Announces Issuance of “Known Importer Letters” to Previous Importers of Goods Subject to Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that it will be issuing known importer letters to importers the agency has identified as having previously imported merchandise that may be subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). CBP aims to issue these letters in advance of June 21, 2022 – which is when the…