Overview

• The Department of Homeland Security designated five additional sectors as high priority on Aug. 19, bringing the UFLPA enforcement list to 12.
• Under the UFLPA’s rebuttable presumption, goods wholly or partly produced in Xinjiang face import bans unless companies demonstrate they are not made with forced labor.
• Customs and Border Protection reports that as of Aug. 1 it stopped about 16,700 shipments worth roughly $3.7 billion and refused entry to around 10,000 shipments valued near $900 million.
• DHS cited official Chinese documents prioritizing steel, lithium and copper in Xinjiang and noted China produces about 40% of the world’s red dates, with roughly half from Xinjiang.
• The expansion broadens scrutiny to critical industrial inputs and increases compliance risks for importers as the U.S. seeks to de-risk exposure to China-centered supply chains.