Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), released an updated Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) strategy.

The Trump administration has rejected a request by printing and imaging company Ninestar to be taken off the UFLPA Entity List. The company and the administration are currently trying to work out a way forward in the matter.

In a U.S. court case related to an import ban on solar products based on concerns about forced labor, the U.S. government has requested and received a remand to reconsider its original determination.

In a decision last week, the U.S. Court of International Trade found that a Chinese solar company does have standing to sue for a U.S. government decision that excludes its products due to forced labor concerns, but said that one of the claims was untimely.

Chinese attorneys have identified 583 Chinese entities sanctioned under four U.S. blacklists in 2024. The growth rates of these lists highlight intensified U.S. enforcement, with significant focus on Chinese entities linked to advanced technologies, alleged support for Russia's war economy, and human rights violations in Xinjiang.

As the end of President Biden's term in office nears, over the past week his administration has taken actions in several areas related to trade with China: de minimis trade, non-market practices/state-owned enterprises/standards, counterfeiting and piracy, and forced labor.

China's Ministry of Commerce has strongly criticized the recent U.S. sanctions imposed on Chinese firms linked to allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang, asserting that these measures constitute a violation of human rights.