US issues restrictions on import of Xinjiang cotton and apparel products, citing forced labour
- US customs agency issues Withhold Release Orders, banning cotton, apparel, hair products and computer parts from four Xinjiang companies
- In addition to four companies, the orders target a specific ‘training centre’, which the US considers a detention camp
The US government has announced new restrictions on the import of products, especially cotton and apparel, from China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, citing concerns over the alleged widespread use of forced labour.
The announcement was made by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency on Monday, and came in the form of five separate Withhold Release Orders (WRO).
Moreover, Customs and Border Protection commissioner Mark Morgan told reporters: “These are not the first WROs the US has issued on Chinese goods, and I can tell you I’m absolutely confident they’re not going to be the last.”
One order applies to all cotton “produced and processed” by the Xinjiang Junggar Cotton and Linen. Another applies to apparel made by the Yili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing and the Baoding LYSZD Trade and Business, both in Xinjiang.
Other products include computer parts made by the Hefei Bitland Information Technology in Anhui Province, and hair products made in Xinjiang’s Lop County Hair Product Industrial Park.