Customs and Border Protection

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday issued a long-awaited withhold-release order on all cotton and tomato products from China’s Xinjiang region, citing the use of forced labor in the Chinese province.

“Many of our outstanding questions attempt to understand what it means to implement a holistic and effective enforcement strategy.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday banned cotton goods made by a Chinese state-owned enterprise, claiming the Xinjiang-based corporation uses forced labor.

“The majority of AD/CVD evasion … involved Chinese goods transshipped through Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, India, Malaysia, Laos, Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, or Vietnam.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday moved to block goods made by forced labor in China’s Xinjiang province by issuing five withhold-release orders, instructing CBP officials to seize hair, apparel, cotton and computer parts from specific companies but delaying a broader order that would cover all cotton and tomato products from the region.

Customs agencies in the U.S., Mexico, Canada remain in close contact on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement implementation, officials said this week, enjoying what one U.S. official dubbed the “honeymoon” phase.

Hong Kong is considering a World Trade Organization challenge of the Trump administration's decision to revoke its special trade status, its government announced on Tuesday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday issued final implementation instructions for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, one of the last moves the agency says will help ensure a smooth transition from NAFTA once the new deal enters into force on Wednesday.

Not all importers hurt by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were able to take advantage of the Trump administration’s move in April to temporarily delay some duty payments, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said on Tuesday.