Apparel / Textiles & Accessories

According to foreign media sources, the U.S. authorities are expected to take effect on June 21 under the "Prevention of Forced Uyghur Labor Law" and will impose import bans on goods from China's Xinjiang region in accordance with the law.

In December 2021, U.S. President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) to prevent Xinjiang goods from flowing into the U.S. market. The "Prevention of Forced Uyghur Labor Law" includes a system with a core concept of "rebuttable presumption", which means that unless it is certified by the US authorities as free from forced labor, it will be presumed that all products manufactured in Xinjiang use forced labor and Import prohibited. The "Law on the Prevention of Forced Labor of Uyghurs" clearly states that the "rebuttable presumption" clause will come into effect on June 21, 180 days after the promulgation of the law.

The Acting Executive Director of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency's "Prevention of Forced Uyghur Labor Law" Enforcement Task Force said that Customs has now increased the corresponding budget for the implementation of the Act, and is preparing to implement it on June 21. The executive director said that the threshold for importers to obtain forced labor-free certification is very high, and they need to provide clear and convincing evidence that the entire supply chain of imported goods is free of forced labor components, and any forced labor-free certification must be Approved by the Customs Commissioner and reported to Congress. If the relevant evidence provided is found to be fraudulent, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will punish the importer accordingly. In addition, the executive director said, importers have the option to re-ship allegedly prohibited related goods back to the country of origin.