We will continue doing all we can to protect workers and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect, the spokesperson said. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The UFLPA mandates a review and strategy-development process expected to result in the identification of additional parties whose products will be presumed to derive from forced labor and banned from import. Build a Morning News Brief: Easy, No Clutter, Free! Lop County Meixin Hair Products Co., Ltd. Nanjing Synergy Textiles Co., Ltd. (including two aliases: Nanjing Xinyi Cotton Textile Printing and Dyeing; and Nanjing Xinyi Cotton Textile), No. Looking for U.S. government information and services? The UFLPA Entity List can be found in the Strategy to Prevent the Importation of Goods Mined, Produced, or Manufactured with Forced Labor in the Peoples Republic of Chinaand the Federal Register Notice on the Addition of Entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List. Effective June 21, 2022, in an effort to address forced labor concerns, U.S. law will broadly prohibit imports of products from Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), along with additional companies determined to be related to supply from that region. From Company-Specific WROs to a Broader Import Ban in the XUAR Zara and Uniqlo owners face investigation over profiting from alleged Uyghur forced labor in China BY Angelina Rascouet, Geraldine Amiel and Bloomberg July 2, 2021, 10:14 AM UTC Leading fashion. Apples supply chain has previously been linked to forced labor in China. A Chinese-dominated mining company has procured millions of dollars in American subsidies to extract lithium in the United States - but, given a dearth of U.S. processing capacity, the mineral is likely to be sent to China with no guarantee that the end product would return as . Apple said it looks for forced labor as part of every assessment it conducts. The companies were listed over human rights violations and abuses of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, according to a US government filing on Wednesday. Bean, Hugo Boss and Uniqlo are now determining how to root out abuse from their supply chains a challenge given how much . 2023 Vox Media, LLC. In March, Apple cut ties with another supplier over allegations it was connected to coercive government labor programs. Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. Ltd. Hoshine Silicon Industry (Shanshan) Co., Ltd., and Subsidiaries. The guidance referenced above under Section 2(d)(6) is not expected until closer to June 21, 2022, as part of the Task Force Strategy Report, and thus companies may not know for some time what are the due diligence, effective supply chain tracing, and supply chain management measures that will meet CBP standards. Companies doing business in China, especially those with supply chain touchpoints in Xinjiang, should consider how the new law will affect them. An official website of the United States government. Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. The Entity List is a tool utilized by BIS to restrict the export, reexport, and transfer (in-country) of items subject to the EAR to persons (individuals, organizations, companies) reasonably believed to be involved, or to pose a significant risk of becoming involved, in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. These legal developments also dovetail with broader ESG and corporate responsibility trends. July 21, 2022 July 20, 2022 RealClearWire. (See here.) In a spring 2020 report report titledUyghurs For Sale, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that at least 83 popular, household-name brands are potentially directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through abusive labour transfer programs as recently as 2019.. Let the companies know youre using your power as the consumer to advocate for human rights by tagging them in social media and pushing them to address their complicity in Uyghur forced labor. Forced labor has been a central part of China's campaign against the Uighurs for as long as I can remember. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), hereafter referred to as the Act, was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2021. Official websites use .gov / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. The TTP found that three Amazon suppliers Luxshare Precision Industry, AcBel Polytech, and Lens Technology have reportedly used forced labor themselves. Please be aware that this is CBPs importer guidance, which provides transparency to CBPs operational approach, and not the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Forces Strategy, which will provide additional importer guidance, required by the UFLPA. An investigation by the Associated Press published in June found that the Chinese government is committing demographic genocide against Uighur Muslims through forced abortions, birth control, mass detentions, and imprisonment. ChatGPT Swears It Can Optimize Your Inventory. 1307) are not entitled to entry at any of the ports of the United States. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 82 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen. Persons wishing to import affected products to the United States will need to supply evidence demonstrating that those products were not made with forced labor, and meet pending compliance standards. Task Force Strategy Report and Potential for Additional Parties Subject to Prohibitions The UK government must toughen measures to tackle modern slavery, including more penalties to compel businesses to ensure Uighur forced labour is not used in their supply chains, according to a . Abercrombie & Fitch, Acer Adidas Alstom BAIC Motor BMW Bombardier Bosch BYD Calvin Klein Candy Carter's Cerruti 1881 Changan Automobile Cisco CRRC Electrolux Fila, Founder Group GAC Group (automobiles) Gap Geely Auto General Motors Goertek These parties can include companies outside of the XUAR. All importers are expected to review their supply chains thoroughly and institute reliable measures to ensure imported goods are not produced wholly or in part with convict labor, forced labor, and/or indentured labor (including forced or indentured child labor). Companies in the labor transfer program are often in labor-intensive industries, so they asked: is the growing and labor-intensive P.P.E. Even more to the point, how about forced labor right here in the U.S. with our prisons (especially the privatized ones), with our vagrancy laws, our with our use of cheap underpaid and unpaid foreign labor from the very groups that conservatives want to deport unless, of course, these conservatives can make more unbegotten money from their forced labor? -- the side where the Uighur workers enter and exit, and live in dorms -- looks almost like a prison. CBP issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against cotton products and tomato products produced in Xinjiang based on information that reasonably indicates the use of detainee or prison . Apple, which has saidthat it is committed to donating to organizations that challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration, is not the only company to come under scrutiny for its links to slave labor. DHS issued a Notice Seeking Public Comments in the Federal Register on January 24, 2022 on methods to prevent the importation of goods produced using forced labor from the People's Republic of China, specifically from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Meta backs new tool for removing sexual images of minors posted online, Mark Zuckerberg says Meta now has a team building AI tools and personas, Whoops! A number of previous reports have implicated these companies in the past for example, Luxshare and Lens Technology were both linked to forced labor in bombshell reports from The Information and The Washington Post, although those reports pertained to Apples questionable history of suppliers. Between January 22, 2022, and June 21, 2022, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force established under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of National Intelligence, will undertake a process that will result in a strategy for supporting enforcement of Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. Our government should tax these company at above the money they are saving by using known slave labor. The Save Uyghur Campaign would like to recognize BBC News for the release of The, Background Date of Birth:February 26th, 1973 National Identification Number: 65010319730226283X Chinese Official Name: , Background Date of Birth: January 6th, 1987 National Identification Number: 652924198701060014 Chinese Official Name: Alimu, General contact / Media queries info@justiceforall.org, 27 E. Monroe St. #700, Chicago IL 60603, USA, In March 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published a report titled. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Meet The Company Bridging Synthetic Biology Innovation With The World Of Insurance To Ensure Safe Food Production, Theres A New Species Of Magic Mushroom - Named After Paul Stamets, Absci Takes Its Generative AI Antibody Design Platform To Europe, Meet The Startup Thats Putting Ice Factories In Shipping Containers For Winn-Dixie Supermarkets. The law places the burden of proof on companies to demonstrate that any imports mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regionor involving entities exporting labor from Xinjiangwere not made using forced labor. As you are likely aware, Congress recently passed, and the President signed into law, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (the Act). Uighurs placement in factories outside Xinjiang has been conducted under a central government policy known as Xinjiang Aid. Factory bosses receive cash compensations for each Uighur worker they employ. WASHINGTON Effective January 13 at all U.S. ports of entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will detain cotton products and tomato products produced in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. However, existing CBP guidance for WROs indicates a demanding standard for documentation and tracing. Over several years, the group has been subject to a number of human rights abuses within the country, including internment camps, constant surveillance, mass sterilization, and forced labor. WROs on materials like cotton (where an estimated 20 percent of world supply and 85 percent of Chinese supply is from the XUAR) and polysilicon (a key material in solar panels and the photovoltaic supply chain) reportedly are causing CBP to block broad categories of certain products incorporating those materials. Xinjiang workers have also been placed in factories that are part of Apples supply chains, including a plant in Guangzhou visited by Apple CEO Tim Cook in December 2017. The Act establishes a rebuttable presumption that the importation of any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China, or produced by an entity on a list required by clause (i), (ii), (iv) or (v) of section 2(d)(2)(B) of the Act, is prohibited by Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and that such goods, wares, articles, and merchandise are not entitled to entry to the United States. To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra: [HOT] Read Latest COVID-19 Guidance, All Aspects [SCHEDULE] Upcoming COVID-19 Webinars & Online Programs, [GUIDANCE] COVID-19 and Force Majeure Considerations, [GUIDANCE] COVID-19 and Employer Liability Issues. This report must include both the goods and the evidence considered. Amazons suppliers are responsible for making Amazon-branded products, such as the Echo, Fire TV, Kindle, the wide range of affordable products sold as part of its Amazon Basics line, and more. Whenever CBP determines that an exception is appropriate, it is required to make a report to Congressional committees within 30 days. What to Know - Effective June 21, 2022, 180 days after enactment of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), a rebuttable presumption will apply that goods produced in whole or part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) are produced with forced labor and banned from US importation, unless the importer can provide "clear and convincing . The programs target the countrys Muslim minority population, particularly Uyghurs living in Xinjiang. Those factories claim to be part of the supply chain of 83 well-known global brands., The Fair Labor Association has also written a statement calling to an end of all forced labor in East Turkestan: The Fair Labor Association (FLA) is deeply troubled by credible reports of forced labor and other violations of fundamental human rights in the Xinjiang region of China. That timeline will be exacerbated by the expected announcement of additional prohibited companies on June 21, and the potential delay until that day of guidance from CBP on standards to demonstrate that imports are not connected to forced labor. Click Share This Page button to display social media links. The Tech Transparency Projectsaid a glass supplier was using forced labor in December; Apple said it had seen no evidence of forced labor. Stop sourcing from Qingdao Taekwang immediately. All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. In June remarks, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincysaidhe was outraged, sad, frustrated, angry over the death of George Floyd and promised that the company stands with those seeking justice and equality., Nike has also spoken out against racism in the U.S., particularly in a May 2020 ad thaturged viewersFor once, dont do it. Primark has been involved in child labor and modern slavery scandals before. The UFLPA also requires the interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, chaired by the Secretary of Homeland Security, and in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and Director of National Intelligence, to develop and submit to Congress a strategy for supporting CBPs enforcement of Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 with respect to goods, wares, articles, and merchandise produced with forced labor in the Peoples Republic of China. Companies need to implement robust preventative and transparency measures, with their compliance departmentsnot their communications departmentsleading the way. This elevated standard will require the importer to not only use due diligence in evaluation of its supply chain, but also to respond completely and substantively to CBP requests for information regarding entries it may review. A number of countries have also imposed sanctions on Xinjiang, with the US moving ban imports from Xinjiang altogether in December. Check the documents below for UFLPA Applicability Review best practices, as well as guidance on executive summaries and sample tables of contents for Applicability Review submissions. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. We have not identified additional exporters at this time but will continue to investigate and gather information about additional relevant entities. Withhold Release Orders and Findings List, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, Best Practices for Applicability Reviews: Importer Responsibilities, Guidance on Executive Summaries and Sample Tables of Contents, https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The level of evidence remains to be clarified by CBP. The ECCHR said that the companies have been complicit "directly or indirectly" in the forced labour of members of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China's Xinjiang province. The Act requires CBP to apply the rebuttable presumption unless the importer can overcome the presumption of forced labor by establishing, by clear and convincing evidence, that the good, ware, article, or merchandise was not mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by forced labor. These categories appear likely to include additional manufacturers and intermediate supply chain participants outside of the XUAR. Thus, companies can expect that CBP will improve its detection and enforcement capabilities relative to the last two years of WRO enforcement. An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said the company has confirmed that Lens Technology has not received any labor transfers of Uighur workers from Xinjiang. LockA locked padlock Senior China researcher explains why viewers should "stay away" from the 2022 Winter Olympics. For the most up-to-date information on CBPs UFLPA implementation, please see our website at www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA. This action targets these entities ability to access commodities, software, and technology subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and is part of a U.S. Government-wide effort to take strong action against Chinas ongoing campaign of repression against Muslim minority groups in the XUAR. Official websites use .gov The TTP pinpoints five companies on Amazons supplier list (available as a CSV file in the small print below the pages supply chain map) that have been publicly denounced for being directly or indirectly connected to the forced labor of Chinas Uyghur population in the Xinjiang region. Specifically, this will include: (i) a list of entities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region that mine, produce, or manufacture wholly or in part any goods, wares, articles and merchandise with forced labor; (ii) a list of entities working with the government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to recruit, transport, transfer, harbor or receive forced labor or Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz or members of other persecuted groups out of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; (iv) a list of entities that exported products described in clause (iii) from the Peoples Republic of China into the United States [being products mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by entities on the list required by clause (i) or (ii)]; (v) a list of facilities and entities that source material from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region or from persons working with the government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region or the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps for purposes of government labor scheme that uses forced labor. Coca-Cola has frequently advocated against racism and discrimination in the U.S. Your companys response to the Washington Post, by your spokesperson has been disappointingly inadequate. At least 570,000 Uighur Muslims are being forced to work in Chinese cotton fields that produce one-fifth of the world's supply, a new report says. There are watchtowers with cameras pointed in all directions and high barbed wire fences atop the walls. Please note that if you do not receive a letter from CBP, this does not mean that your supply chain is free of forced labor. Retail giants Nike and H&M are facing a backlash in China after they expressed concern about the alleged use of Uighur forced labour in cotton production. Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. CBP has released importer guidance to assist the trade community in preparing for the implementation of the UFLPA rebuttable presumption that goes into effect on June 21, 2022. Law Firms: Be Strategic In Your COVID-19 Guidance [GUIDANCE] On COVID-19 and Business Continuity Plans. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Issues Withhold Release Order (WRO): CBP has issued a WRO on silica-based products made by Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., Ltd., a company located in . An official website of the United States government. A lock ( Dont turn your back on racism. Call To House Republicans On Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Middleman Investigation. In advance of June 21st, CBP will be issuing letters to importers identified as having previously imported merchandise that may be subject to the Act to encourage those importers to address any forced labor issues in their supply chains in a timely manner. CBP's UFLPA importer guidance is available at CBP.gov. CBP guidance for XUAR WROs, and standards like the ILO Indicators of Forced Labor can provide reference points. Further complicating the matter are Chinas poverty alleviation and pairing assistance programs, some of which forcibly relocate Uyghur and other minorities as laborers outside of Xinjiang. Dont pretend theres not a problem in America. Address: One Bowerman Drive Beaverton, OR 97005. The Washington Postreported Tuesdaythat Apple supplier Lens Technology uses Uighur workers in its factories, according to documents obtained by the Tech Transparency Project. As always, our focus is on making sure everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and we will continue doing all we can to protect workers in our supply chain, Rosenstock added. abercrombie & fitch, acer, adidas, alstom, amazon, apple, asus, b ai c motor, bmw, bombardier, bosch, byd, calvin klein, candy, carter's, cerruti 1881, changan automobile, cisco, crrc, Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Importers of record will have a path to overcome that rebuttable presumption by showing that the items are not mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by forced labor and demonstrating other elements of compliance. Nov. 17, 201801:48. We hope that by sharing this film we can serve as a catalyst to inspire action against a deep issue in our society and encourage people to help shape a better future.. The Task Force Strategy Report will identify a list of high-priority sectors for enforcement, which at a minimum must include cotton, tomatoes and polysilicon. Following a public comment period, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force will describe how companies can adequately demonstrate that their imports originating from China are not made with forced labor. The Save Uyghur Campaign would like to recognize BBC News for the release of The, Who Are the Uyghurs and Why Is China Being Accused of Genocide? BBC News, 21, Background Date of Birth: January 6th, 1987 National Identification Number: 652924198701060014 Chinese Official Name: Alimu, General contact / Media queries info@justiceforall.org, 27 E. Monroe St. #700, Chicago IL 60603, USA, , from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, reveals a vast network of companies complicit in the mass detention of Uyghurs and other Turkic people.