U.S. Customs and Border Protection has detained imports from North Korean companies after indications that these used forced labor.
The companies included – Zhejiang Sunrise Garment Group Co, an essential supplier to Western apparel companies, Jingde Trading Ltd, and Rixin Foods Ltd.
A March United Nations report flagged Rixin Foodstuffs Ltd. for allegedly bringing North Korean laborers to work in a factory in China.
A Customs spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a query on whether Rixin Foods and Rixin Foodstuffs are the same company, Wall Street Journal reported.
Customs’ enforcement push partly stems from a relatively new law that presumes goods from China’s Xinjiang region are made with forced labor.
U.S. lawmakers in both parties are putting pressure on Customs to tackle forced labor, Mr. Conklin said. “CBP is empowered to use new authorities and existing authorities in new and creative ways,” he said.
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