U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have detained nearly $43 million worth of electronic equipment shipments from India since October, suspecting they may have been manufactured with components linked to forced labor in China. The detained shipments have raised concerns that India may be attempting to circumvent U.S. tariffs and trade restrictions by exporting products that include components derived from illegal labor practices.
These seizures fall under the 2022 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which aims to block goods produced in China’s Xinjiang region from entering the U.S.
The Xinjiang region has come under international scrutiny due to reports that Chinese authorities have established labor camps for ethnic Uyghur and other Muslim groups.
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While the specific nature of the confiscated goods has not yet been disclosed, solar panel components are considered a high-priority area under the UFLPA.
Experts say the seized goods likely include raw materials used for solar tech that were first sourced from Xinjiang before being manufactured in India, a practice which may have been occurring for some time now.
India has seen a recent surge in solar panel exports to the U.S., with shipments rising to 11% of total U.S. solar panel imports in the second quarter of this year. This marks a significant increase from the previous quarter, where India’s share stood at just over 5%.
