On October 6, the OECD Ministers issued the 2021 Ministerial Council statement [https://www.oecd.org/mcm/MCM-2021-Part-2-Final-Statement.EN.pdf] at the Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM). This years’ MCM had a theme of “Shared Values: Building a Green and Inclusive Future”. Not surprisingly, the statement emphasized “shared values” which would

As we reported [https://www.chinatrademonitor.com/new-u-s-actions-related-to-forced-labor-in-xinjiang-in-the-solar-sector/] a couple months ago, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has been blocking shipments of some imports of solar products on the basis of ties to forced labor in China. Some details have emerged for one company in particular, JinkoSolar [https://www.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry was in China last week to meet with Chinese officials on issues related to climate change, in advance of the November UN climate conference. The meetings did not make much progress in this area, however, and China took the opportunity to criticize U.S.

Last week, the Australian Senate passed a bill [https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=s1307] – Customs Amendment (Banning Goods Produced By Forced Labour) Bill 2021 – that would ban imports of goods made with forced labor. There are significant hurdles to the bill

Today the U.S. Senate passed a long-awaited $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, called the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act [https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr3684/BILLS-117hr3684eas.pdf]." One provision in this bill is of particular interest for trade with China, as it requires a report within

On July 21, the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee held a hearing [https://waysandmeans.house.gov/legislation/hearings/trade-subcommittee-hearing-global-challenge-forced-labor-supply-chains] on "The Global Challenge of Forced Labor in Supply Chains: Strengthening Enforcement and Protecting Workers [https://waysandmeans.house.gov/legislation/hearings/trade-subcommittee-hearing-global-challenge-forced-labor-supply-chains] ." Among the many issues discussed at

On July 14, the U.S. Senate passed [https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2021/7/14/senate-section/article/s4905-6] , by voice vote, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act [https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/65?r=12&s=1]. In a press release [https://www.rubio.senate.gov/