—
Source: Fox News
Summary
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is asking the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to brief them on the agency’s enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The law aims to stop the import of goods made with forced labor in China. The committee’s letter, shared with Fox News, highlights concerns about products from Xinjiang, including textiles and steel, potentially being made with Uyghur labor. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said enforcement is a moral and economic issue. The letter asks DHS to address 10 concerns, including updating the UFLPA Entity List. DHS added 43 companies to the list in July.
Our Reading
As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
Committee members write letters to agencies they hope will act.
They cite reports of forced labor and demand more action.
DHS adds companies to a list, but the committee wants more.
Products from Xinjiang still find their way to American stores.
Author: Evan Null
House Committee Seeks DHS Briefing on UFLPA Enforcement
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has requested a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the agency’s implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The law, passed in 2021, aims to prevent the import of goods made with forced labor in China. The committee’s letter, shared with Fox News, highlights concerns about products from Xinjiang, including textiles and steel, potentially being made with Uyghur labor.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the ranking member on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, emphasized that enforcement of the UFLPA is not just a moral issue but also one of economic and national security. He argued that Chinese companies using forced Uyghur labor are undercutting American manufacturers by dumping goods into the U.S. market at lower prices.
The bipartisan letter, addressed to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, asks the agency to address 10 concerns, including what work DHS and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are doing to update the list of companies and entities on the UFLPA Entity List. In July, DHS added 43 companies to the list, an action that Khanna applauded, though he said more action was needed.
The committee’s letter highlights concerns that products from companies on the list and from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) are still making their way to U.S. customers. These products, the letter alleges, cover supply chains ranging from steel and aluminum to silicon-carbon materials critical to technology production.
Khanna also explained how China circumvents import bans by outsourcing manufacturing. He said that while China has been evading tariffs by opening companies in Malaysia or Vietnam, the use of forced Uyghur labor presents a different challenge. The committee’s letter reflects a bipartisan effort, with eight lawmakers, four Republicans and four Democrats, signing it.
