More than a year of enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) has already stymied development of solar energy projects as detained panel shipments languish in U.S. warehouses.
When shipments are detained, CBP provides the importer with a list of examples of products from previous reviews and the kind of documentation required to prove they are not made with forced labor, CBP told Reuters.
"The timing of these changes does not reflect any specific changes in strategy or operations," a CBP spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the list of eight product types was "not exhaustive."
In a report to Congress last month on UFLPA enforcement, CBP listed lithium-ion batteries, tires, "and other automobile components" among the "potential risk areas" it was monitoring.
The stepped-up focus on automakers follows a study by Britain's Sheffield Hallam University published in December that said nearly every major automaker has exposure to products made with forced labor in Xinjiang.
Persons:
Janet Yellen, Mark Schiefelbein, Dan Solomon, Chevalier, Solomon, Britain's, Ron Wyden, Wyden, we've, Tesla, Brandon Daniels, Nichola Groom, David Shepardson, Jan Schwartz, Daniel Leussink, Matthew Lewis
Organizations:
Reuters, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Beijing, Uyghur, Labor, U.S . Solar Energy Industries Association, Biden, CBP, Miller, Britain's Sheffield Hallam University, U.S, Senate, Benz, Volkswagen, Friedrichshafen AG, Bosch, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Continental AG, Thomson
Locations:
United States, Diaoyutai, Beijing, China, Xinjiang, U.S, Detroit, UFLPA, Los Angeles, Washington, Hamburg, Tokyo