The UFLPA includes a process for importers to show via clear and convincing evidence that an imported item from the XUAR or linked to additional listed entities was not mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by forced labor. In addition to providing such evidence, Section 3(b) of the UFLPA requires (A) compliance with forthcoming guidance under Section 2(d)(6) on due diligence, effective supply chain tracing, and supply chain management measures to ensure that such importers do not import any goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part with forced labor from the Peoples Republic of China, especially from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; and (B) cooperation with CBP in completely and substantively answering inquiries and information requests. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Click Share This Page button to display social media links. The entities to be added to the Entity List in connection with participating in the practice of, accepting, or utilizing forced labor involvingUyghurs and otherMuslim minority groups in the XUAR are: This Entity List rule supplements other Entity List designations in October 2019, June 2020, and July 2020. The report and process for its preparation also are designed to help CBP improve its capacity to administer the import ban. The coalition has published an extensive list of brands it claims continue to source from the region, or from factories connected to the forced labour of Uighur people, including Gap, C&A,. The laws rebuttable presumption means companies whose supply chains touch Xinjiangor utilize Xinjiang-exported laborwill have to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that their products are free of forced labor. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact, Immigration Expert Says Bidens Immigration Plans Could Provide Amnesty for Millions of People, At Princeton, a Racial Reckoning and a Free Speech Battle. (Photo by Anna Fifield/The Washington Post via Getty Images). Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. A number of companies and brands have been linked to labor forced on Uighur Muslims by the Chinese government, according to multiple reports. Brands Can't Confidently Say No. For othersparticularly complex products with long, disparate supply chainsupgrading supply chain due diligence may require investment and management attention, as the companies may not previously have had a commercial need to track the sources of every upstream component and material. All work must be voluntary, and workers must be free to leave work and terminate their employment or other work status with reasonable notice.. 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 Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added five Chinese entities to the Entity List for accepting or utilizing forced labor in the implementation ofthePeoples Republic ofChinas campaign of repression against Muslimminority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region(XUAR). For the most up-to-date information on CBPs UFLPA implementation, please see our website at https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA. Companies Prepare for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Stephan Becker, Benjamin Cote, Aaron Hutman, Moushami Joshi, Toochi Ngwangwa Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP + Follow. Official websites use .gov All the companies that responded said they required suppliers to follow strict labor . 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). BOE Technology Group, which supplies screens to Apple, and O-Film, which makes iPhone cameras, both use Uighur labor, either directly or through contractors, the report found. We take allegations of human rights abuses seriously, including those related to the use or export of forced labor. 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. 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 (LockA locked padlock) Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Abercrombie & Fitch, adidas, Amazon, BMW, Gap, H&M, Inditex, Marks & Spencer, Nike, North Face, Puma, PVH, Samsung and UNIQLO to respond; their responses are provided. Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. As of April 2021, the following global companies and brands are profiting from their use of modern day Uyghur slavery. Demand Nike and other listed companies to stop sourcing their products from Uyghur forced labor. Coca-Cola has frequently advocated against racism and discrimination in the U.S. As you are likely aware, Congress recently passed, and the President signed into law, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (the Act). As your company has previously imported merchandise from locations or entities potentially subject to the Act, you are being notified that subsequent entries of such merchandise may result in, among other things, suspension or removal from the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program, seizure, forfeiture and/or penalties, or other appropriate action under the customs laws. One such ad, claiming to be able to supply 1,000 Uighur workers aged 16 to 18 years, read: The advantages of Xinjiang workers are: semi-military style management, can withstand hardship, no loss of personnel Minimum order 100 workers!. Many Chinese have called for boycotts,. U.S. remote-control maker Universal Electronics Inc told Reuters it struck a deal with authorities in Xinjiang to transport hundreds of Uyghur workers to its plant in the southern Chinese city of . ), Chinas forced work programs have been getting more attention over the past year, with new reports speaking to the growing scope of Chinas oppressive practices in Xinjiang. The period coincides with Chinas campaign ofmass internment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, which the government says is needed to root out terrorism and separatism. The UFLPA now would effectively apply the presumption of forced labor to all goods made in the XUAR without the need for CBP to issue WROs. Major solar companies including GCL-Poly, East Hope Group, Daqo New Energy, Xinte Energy and Jinko Solar are named in the report as bearing signs of using some forced labor, according to. The UFLPA reflects an expansion of U.S. policy efforts over the past two years to address reported violations of human rights in the XUAR. 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 . 4 Vocation Skills Education Training Center (VSETC), Tanyuan Technology Co. Ltd. (including five aliases: Carbon Yuan Technology; Changzhou Carbon Yuan Technology Development; Carbon Element Technology; Jiangsu Carbon Element Technology; and Tanyuan Technology Development), Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and its subordinate and affiliated entities. 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. Any violation of our policies has immediate consequences, including possible business termination. Six of the seven suppliers were said to participate in work programs operated by the Chinese government, The Information reports, which human rights groups describe as frequently offering cover for forced labor. As for population statistics, China lists Xinjiang's population at 24.5 million, including 12 million Uyghurs and 11 million Chinese as well as one million Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Huai, and other ethnic. In March 2020, a damning report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute revealed that the Chinese government was forcing hundreds of young Uyghur women to. For the most up-to-date information on CBPs UFLPA implementation, please see our website at www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA. Using Amazon's June 2021 supplier list, the TTP said it found five of the companies on the list had publicly known links to forced labor programs called "labor transfers," which. The Biden administration has been vocal about human rights in China and other jurisdictions, and efforts to enforce supply chain ethics appear to have bipartisan support. Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said the company has confirmed that Lens Technology has not received any labor transfers of Uighur workers from Xinjiang. This enhanced enforcement already is underway. Companies need to implement robust preventative and transparency measures, with their compliance departmentsnot their communications departmentsleading the way. Check the below Frequently Asked Questions to see if your questions about UFLPA Strategymay be answered here. Apr 9, 2022. 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.. The level of evidence remains to be clarified by CBP. 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. DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. Apple lists both . This report must include both the goods and the evidence considered. 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! 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. An official website of the United States government. LockA locked padlock Any dollar that goes to these brands is a dollar that goes into the factories profiting off of Uyghur forced labor. Thus, investment in supply chain due diligence, compliance and contractual requirements for commercial partners may emerge as a key development in 2022. These workers were transferred from labor camps in the Xinjiang region of western China, WaPo reported. Forced labor has been a central part of China's campaign against the Uighurs for as long as I can remember. All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. I understand that in some of these poor countries it may not be clear who may be violating human rights in some way but there should be minimum due diligence standards. 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. Thus far, the U.S. government has deployed Withhold Release Orders (WROs), export control restrictions pursuant to the Entity List, and sanctions designations under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which have targeted several large Chinese companies including the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), as well as categories of products. Questions regarding UFLPA may be submitted to UFLPAInquiry@cbp.dhs.gov. These legal developments also dovetail with broader ESG and corporate responsibility trends. Apple found no evidence of forced labor anywhere we operate, a spokesperson told The Information. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2021. . Here are some of the 83 brands listed in the report as being connected to those factories using forced labor. Although journalists have in the pastlinked Western companies to forced Uighur labor, this is the first time the problem is made apparent on such a large scale, enveloping factories and supply chains across the country. manufacturing also using Uighur workers?https://t.co . The report listed popular clothing companies Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Gap, Calvin Klein, H&M, L.L.Bean, Lacoste, Nike, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma, Skechers, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, and Victorias Secret, as well as General Motors, Goertek, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagon, and more. Put On The Gas. ASPI stated that it had found 27 factories in 9 Chinese provinces that are using Uyghur labor transferred from Xinjiang since 2017. LAIXI, CHINA - JANUARY 8, 2020: The fences along the side of the Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co. factory [+] -- the side where the Uighur workers enter and exit, and live in dorms -- looks almost like a prison. One of the suppliers operated in Xinjiang, the region of China predominantly populated by Uyghurs and where the most egregious human rights violations have reportedly taken place. 925) Adidas Amazon private labels American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. Anta Sports Products Ltd. Burberry Group PLC (Burberry) The Washington Postreported Tuesdaythat Apple supplier Lens Technology uses Uighur workers in its factories, according to documents obtained by the Tech Transparency Project. Amazon is allegedly employing suppliers in China with links to forced labor, according to a report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a research group owned by the nonprofit watchdog organization Campaign for Accountability (via NBC News). Nike, Adidas, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung are among 83 multinationals that have been linked to forced labor by Uighurs in factories across China, according to a new study by the Australian. 6256 - Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, DHS Press Release on UFLPA Public Comment Period, Federal Register Notice Seeking Public Comment. However, each company and industry will have unique risks and therefore we may see bespoke risk assessments, supply chain ethical goals and resulting due diligence approaches. Share this article with your friends, and let them know which companies to avoid as well. Address: One Bowerman Drive Beaverton, OR 97005. 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 . Thus, companies can expect that CBP will improve its detection and enforcement capabilities relative to the last two years of WRO enforcement. 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. Numerous sources, including government documents, show that transferred workers are assigned minders and have limited freedom of movement.. Apple and Amazon arent the only US-based companies with ties to Xinjiang and forced labor, either. The Tech Transparency Projectsaid a glass supplier was using forced labor in December; Apple said it had seen no evidence of forced labor. Please note that this notice may serve as an aggravating factor should CBP take enforcement action upon determining future violations of the Act. 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, 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. They include. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. I was born in a re-education camp at the height of China's infamous Cultural Revolution. In March, Apple cut ties with another supplier over allegations it was connected to coercive government labor programs. The Commerce Department will continue to take firm, decisive action tohold China and other perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable.. Several Apple suppliers may have used forced labor in China, according to The Information. Dont turn your back on racism. 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 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. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In January 2021, CBP issued a region-wide ban on all XUAR-produced cotton and tomato products, irrespective of the associated company. 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. 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. Coca-Cola and Nike both pushed back on the NYT report in statements to the Daily Caller, arguing that they did not lobby against the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act or source products from Xinjiang. Companies doing business in China should consider the following to prepare for the new requirements. Build a Morning News Brief: Easy, No Clutter, Free! The factory, Haoyuanpeng Clothing Manufacturing Co. Ltd, lists Fila, Adidas, Puma and Nike among its clients. The rebuttable presumption goes into effect on June 21, 2022. The list of well-recognized names includes Apple, Nike, Amazon, Samsung, Zara, H&M, Microsoft, Mercedes-Benz, Uniqlo, and more. All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. 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.
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