China

CBP Collects $575,000 In Penalties From Importer Of ‘Forced Labor Products’ From China

Published

4 years ago

August 14, 2020

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has collected $575,000 in penalties from Pure Circle U.S.A., Inc., a company that imported ‘forced labor products’ from China, according to a press release

“As part of its trade enforcement responsibilities, CBP will hold companies accountable for importing goods produced with forced labor,” said Brenda Smith, Executive Assistant Commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade.

“Companies have a responsibility to proactively monitor their supply chains to mitigate the risk of importing goods into the United States that were produced with forced labor.”

Pure Circle imported stevia produced in China by Inner Mongolia Hengzheng Group Baoanzhao Agricultural and Trade LLC, according to CBP. CBP began investigating the imports after it was alerted by a nongovernmental organization to its alleged inhumane activities. Later, CBP issued a Withhold Release Order on those products.

CBP has issued eleven WROs since September 2019, four of which targeted products from China.

CBP’s investigation found that Pure Circle U.S.A., Inc. imported about 20 shipments of products “that were processed in China with prison labor.” A penalty was then issued against Pure Circle. However, the products had already made their way into the U.S. before CBP found evidence of forced labor.

Many of the seizures of Chinese forced labor goods have raised concerns about China’s human rights abuses against minority populations, including Uighurs, a Turkic-ethnic minority, they’ve imprisoned in “reeducation camps” and exploited for labor. Further, China has made many attempts to stop Uighur population growth by forcing women to have abortions and forcing sterilization.

China

Chinese National Charged with Exporting Weapons from CA to North Korea

Published

4 hours ago

December 5, 2024

Sara Carter Staff

A Chinese national living in California was arrested this week for allegedly orchestrating a plot to ship weapons to North Korea directly from the United States. Shenghua Wen, a 41-year-old illegal migrant, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of two decades in federal prison, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The Daily Caller News Foundation reports that Wen allegedly exported firearms, ammunition and other military items bound for North Korea out of Long Beach, California. In a press release following the arrest, DOJ officials suggested that Wen was acting at the behest of North Korean officials.

“We have arrested a defendant who allegedly acted at the direction of the North Korean government by conspiring to illegally ship firearms, ammunition, and other military equipment to North Korea,” U.S. attorney Martin Estrada stated. “I am grateful to our law enforcement partners for stopping this threat and their tireless commitment to the security of our nation.”

“The significance of this arrest and discovery of this scheme cannot be overstated,” FBI Los Angeles assistant director in charge Akil Davis stated. “Not only did the investigative team prevent additional restricted items going to the North Korean regime, but they gathered valuable intelligence for the United States and our allies.”

“The defendant’s alleged attempts to illicitly export firearms and military technology from the United States at the behest of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea constitute an alarming violation of sanctions and export control laws,” special agent in charge Gregory Dunlap of the Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) stated. “OEE is committed to working with our federal partners to identify and disrupt illegal export schemes that undermine regional stability and our national security interests at home and abroad.”

The Daily Caller adds that the number of Chinese nationals illegally crossing into the U.S. reached a peak in fiscal year 2024, according to Customs and Border Protection. Border Patrol agents encountered nearly 38,000 Chinese nationals.