Xinjiang: US Moves Swiftly to Enforce Ban on Cotton Products Linked to Forced Labour

12/04/2020

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Finbarr Bermingham | SCMP

US customs authorities are baring their teeth over a sweeping new ban on cotton products from Xinjiang, even as businesses scramble to remove the sprawling Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) from their supply chains.

After announcing a ban on cotton products connected to the sanctioned XPCC on Wednesday, US customs detained shipments for further investigation on Thursday in a sign that the agency “is looking to make this enforcement effort very visible to its critics”.

“I’ve already seen a detention of goods and request for supply chain information in connection with this withhold release order (WRO),” said Elise Shibles, a former US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, now an adviser at trade consultancy Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.

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