WASHINGTON – The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, which includes the U.S. Department of Labor as a member, today issued the “Strategy to Prevent Importation of Goods Mined, Produced, or Manufactured with Forced Labor in the People’s Republic of China,” as required by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act prohibits goods made wholly or in part in the Xinjiang region of the People’s Republic of China or produced by certain entities, included in the UFLPA Entity List, from being imported into the U.S. The act directs the task force to develop a strategy to support enforcement of the prohibition on imports made with forced labor from entering the U.S. The act institutes a rebuttable presumption that goods made in Xinjiang, or by related entities, are made with forced labor unless proved otherwise.
The UFLPA strategy includes a comprehensive risk assessment, a forced labor scheme evaluation, and a list of entities and goods subject to the rebuttable presumption that their imports are made with forced labor. It also provides importer guidance on due diligence, effective supply chain tracing, and supply chain management measures. Importers of goods made in whole or in part in Xinjiang or by entities on the UFLPA Entity List must comply with this guidance in order to import such goods.
“The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act provides the U.S. government with powerful new tools to combat forced labor, which align with the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to eradicate forced labor from U.S. supply chains” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “We take the mandate from Congress to enforce these new provisions very seriously and are determined to prevent American consumers from inadvertently purchasing goods made with forced labor. The law is very clear, the onus is on importers to demonstrate they are not in violation of the act. The U.S. has zero tolerance for businesses profiting from genocide and crimes against humanity.”
Members of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force will hold recurring meetings with the private sector and non-governmental organizations on this strategy.
