WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration moved on Monday to block U.S. imports of cotton, apparel and other products from five specific entities in western China’s Xinjiang region, but shelved proposed broad bans on all cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang, Department of Homeland Security officials said.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection ‘Withhold Release Orders’ are aimed at combating China’s use of forced labor by detained Uighur Muslims in the province, DHS acting deputy secretary Kenneth Cuccinelli told reporters on a conference call. He said the administration was conducting more legal analysis of the region-wide import bans to ensure they would withstand any challenges.
(Reporting by David Lawder and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
