During portions of interviews aired on Friday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Last Call,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Trade Executive Assistant Commissioner Annmarie Highsmith and Assistant Port Director for the Port of New York/Newark Edward Fox said that determining whether goods were made with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang Province has been made difficult by the fact that China’s government “has taken affirmative steps to obfuscate those supply chains and prevent businesses from learning the conditions under which those products are manufactured” and “Solar panels are a big issue.”
Fox said there are “about $60 million” worth of goods that are currently under investigation for forced labor violations.
Highsmith stated, “The Chinese government has taken affirmative steps to obfuscate those supply chains and prevent businesses from learning the conditions under which those products are manufactured.”
CNBC Correspondent Andrea Day said that “electronics, apparel, footwear, and textiles” top the list of goods halted due to forced labor suspicions and about a third of the shipments detained have been released.
She also stated that the warehouse of detained merchandise she toured for the report had “about $20 million” worth of solar panels.
Fox stated, “Solar panels are a big issue. The polysilicon is sourced out of the Xinjiang region.”
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