Be Aggressive Against Forced Labour Chinese Garments: NCTO
National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) urged the US government to take immediate and aggressive action to step up enforcement against import of Chinese apparels made from forced labour.
NCTO also urged action against Chinese made counterfeit garments which are devastating the vital US manufacturing base.
This was the message conveyed by NCTO CEO Kim Glas while testifying at a congressional hearing on ‘Exploitation and Enforcement: Evaluating the Department of Homeland Security’s Efforts to Counter Uyghur Forced Labour.’
“Chinese cotton products made with forced labour in Xinjiang, in the most abhorrent conditions, are flooding the global marketplace, making their way both directly and indirectly to the US,” Glas said.
She noted that around 72 percent of all Chinese cotton products contain Xinjiang cotton, leading to forced labour textiles and apparel, leaking into supply chains in the US and our free trade agreement regions.
“Not only have we failed to stop forced labour trade through the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA), but we are rewarding China with duty-free access under the de minimis provision of our trade law,” she added.
“The de minimis loophole has become a superhighway for illicit goods as a result of ineffective rule making and a lack of adequate congressional action and it’s a threat to us all,” Glas observed.
