U.S. Labor Department Updates Forced Labor List
The U.S. Department of Labor published its updated list of countries and commodities known involve the use of forced labor last week. The Labor Department says China continues to produce the most goods made with forced labor, including artificial flowers, Christmas decorations, coal, fish, footwear, garments, gloves, hair products, polysilicon, nails, thread/yarn, and tomato products. See the 2022 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor.
Coalition Sends Letter about China Tariff Exclusions to USTR
Americans for Free Trade (AFT), a coalition of businesses and organizations opposed to tariffs, which includes AAEI, sent a letter to the Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) about Section 301 tariff exclusions which are set to expire in the coming months. AFT is calling for USTR to both renew existing exclusions and create a more robust exclusions process in the future. Read the AFT letter.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Member Calls for Probe on Export Controls
Has the Bureau of Industry and Security done enough to prevent the flow of sensitive U.S. technology to adversaries like China? Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) doesn’t think so. This week, McCaul announced he plans to open a Congressional investigation on export controls. But first, leadership of the the House of Representatives would need to flip to GOP following the mid-term elections. Read more from Politico.
