Having faced down trade war tariffs, a pandemic that closed factories for months and now a global recession, the Asian apparel industry can breathe a sigh of relief after the United States decided to temporarily shelve a sweeping ban on products containing cotton from China’s Xinjiang province over allegations of widespread forced labour.
Instead, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency imposed restrictions through five separate Withhold Release Orders (WROs) covering cotton, computer parts and hair products made by a group of Xinjiang entities, ending a week of anxiety for the industry during which many feared the entire supply chain would be upended.
But with CBP commissioner Mark Morgan saying he was “absolutely confident” the WROs will not be the last issued on Chinese goods, there is every chance that manufacturers will need to remain vigilant.
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