A seafood provision is part of a larger trade package that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) plans to offer as an amendment to the proposed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, S. 1260 (117), aimed at China.
It builds on a joint report from the Commerce and State departments last year that identified China as “a significant offender in the use of forced labor in their fishing sector, with numerous reports known on Chinese-flagged and -owned vessels throughout the world.” The same report listed 28 other countries accused of using forced labor to harvest seafood.
The seafood provision requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to issue new regulations within a year aimed at preventing forced labor seafood imports.
U.S. seafood imports from China totaled nearly $3 billion in 2018, but tumbled to just $1.6 billion last year largely because of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
It’s not clear how much of China’s catch is obtained through forced labor. But Chinese seafood industry workers complain of excessive hours, poor living conditions, isolation at sea for months to years, verbal and physical abuse, nonpayment of wages and debt bondage, the joint report said.
The Wyden amendment also provides new criteria to help CBP prioritize all of its forced labor investigations and requires agency officials to brief the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees on their efforts every 90 days.
The amendment also requires USTR to produce a report on how China uses Hong Kong’s preferential status under U.S. law to circumvent export controls, anti-dumping and countervailing duties and foreign sanctions.
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