Nike’s former supplier Esquel Group scores a rare win in a bid to remove Xinjiang unit from US forced-labour sanctions list
- US inter-agency body voted to remove Changji Esquel unit from the so-called entity list under certain conditions
- The shirtmaker and the US government are in discussions over the conditions
Esquel Group, one of the world’s biggest shirtmakers, won a rare victory in its effort to get one of its subsidiaries removed from a United States government blacklist over allegations of ties to forced labour in western China.
The End-User Review Committee, a US inter-agency body, voted to remove its Changji Esquel unit under certain conditions from the so-called entity list, which prohibits it from buying from American suppliers, according to a joint motion filed on Tuesday in US District Court for the District of Columbia.
“The parties are currently engaging in further discussions regarding those conditions,” the motion said.
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In the motion, the parties asked the court to delay the next hearing scheduled in the case until September while the discussions continue. The litigation is ongoing.