The Pleasure Island of Shein

Shein’s Fast Fashion business reminds me of the barker in Pinocchio, (to paraphrase) “Get your tank tops, dress, sweaters, and t-shirts! Buy all you can! Be a glutton! Stuff your bags! Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry!” Who could imagine that a small order-fulfillment Chinese company with almost no garment manufacturing experience would become the world’s largest…

CBP Released False Government Statistics

Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Trade released false government statistics. CBP’s Office of Trade stated that the total value of de minimis shipments fell from $67,039,140,875 in CBP’s FY 2020, down to $39,876,651,152 in FY 2021. These numbers are not accurate, and in fact are certainly a gross, material undervaluation,…

CPA Urges U.S. Customs Agency to Add Chinese Solar Companies to Forced Labor List

ICYMI: SEIA’s Chinese Members’ Shipments Detained by CBP  WASHINGTON — The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) requested that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) add additional Chinese companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, subjecting them to the presumption that their goods are made with forced labor. Earlier this week,…

CPA Statement on Implementation of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

WASHINGTON — The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today released a statement in response to the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force’s (FLETF) release of its Report to Congress titled, “Strategy for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.” The Report acknowledges that the “PRC government engages in genocide and crimes against humanity” more than once,…

Leading Customs Authorities Make The Case Against De Minimis Commerce

Leading customs authorities make the case against de minimis commerce By Charles Benoit, CPA Trade Counsel “De minimis” treatment for imports, which is available if the shipper declares the value under $800, cannot be effectively policed, and undermines fundamental fairness. That was the message from top authorities in the customs field at a Washington International…