On December 23, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Act. Under the act, all goods with a connection to China’s Xinjiang province are presumed to be made by forced labor, effective June 21. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will also be responsible to produce guidance for importers by the effective date.

The guidance will clarify what sort of evidence is sufficient to prove that the goods were not made with forced labor and to identify which companies — outside the province — are either using inputs from Xinjiang or accepting transferred Muslim workers from there.

It is crucial for companies to ensure their supply chains do not include goods that fall under this act.