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Xinjiang exports to US hit two-year high despite Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act taking effect
- Industry observers surprised by leap in reported shipments for July, as many believed number would plummet to near zero after law took effect in June
- Importers now required to rebut presumption all goods from the tightly controlled far-west region of China are tainted by forced labour
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Xinjiang’s clothing exports to the United States surged to their highest point in nearly two years in July, the first full month after the US began enforcing a law to block goods from the far-west region of China due to forced labour concerns there, according to Beijing’s most recent customs data.
The Chinese government’s figures show Xinjiang continued to send tens of thousands of shirts, pants, jackets and dresses as well as millions of pairs of socks to the US, among other clothing items, even as American customs authorities had started implementing the long-anticipated Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act.
US Customs and Border Protection declined to comment on the official export numbers, whose volume surprised industry observers in the US and China alike. But the agency said it had already begun “as we anticipated”.
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Industry experts said the leap in shipments likely came from orders placed months ago, such as for the coming holiday shopping season. It was unclear how many of the goods, if any, would ultimately reach US territory now that the law is in effect.
But they were still perplexed by the jump in reported exports for July. Many experts in both countries believed the number would plummet to near zero after June 21, when the law took effect.
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“It should be going the other way,” said Michael Roll, a customs and trade lawyer in Los Angeles at the law firm Roll and Harris, of the total. “To me, that doesn’t add up.”
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