Chinese imports blocked over forced labour

Import blocks have been imposed by the US government on companies deemed to have breached requirements on making sure forced labour hasn’t been deployed in their supply chains.

The Department of Homeland Security recently added battery producer Camel Group and Chenguang Biotech Group – a spice and extract specialist – to the list of companies whose goods will be restricted from entering the US under the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA).

The move aims to “eliminate the use of forced labour practices in the US supply chain" and seek to “promote accountability for the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups," said DHS in a statement.

The UFLPA was signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2021, and prohibits any goods entering the US that are made in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

The development is yet another example of the importance of effective supply chain risk management (SCRM) and comes after hundreds of shipments have been denied entry into the US by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after being deemed to have contravened the UFLPA. To date, 24 companies are being sanctioned under the law, according to the DHS.

The requirements have contributed to companies turning to the use of traceability technologies and practices to make sure their supply chains fall within the law and are not built on exploitation.

"We will continue to work with all of our partners to keep goods made with forced labour from Xinjiang out of US commerce while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade," commented US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

Photo by Kuzzat Altay on Unsplash