US bans import of all China’s Li-Ning products, citing use of North Korean labour
- The Chinese sportswear giant’s supply chain is accused of having North Korean ties, a violation of US sanctions
- Li-Ning goods will not be allowed into the US ‘unless the importer provides clear and convincing evidence’ that no forced labour was involved in its manufacture
The US customs agency has banned all goods made by the Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning, accusing the company of using North Korean labour in its supply chain, a violation of US sanctions.
It is the latest move from Washington to crack down on China’s apparel sector over suspected human rights abuses, this time under the authority of a five-year-old sanctions law targeting Pyongyang.
“[The law] is yet another tool in CBP’s trade enforcement arsenal that allows us to uphold the fundamental value of human dignity and to ensure the goods that enter the United States are free from forced labour,” said AnnMarie Highsmith, executive assistant commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Trade.
That law, called the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, bans any goods “mined, produced or manufactured wholly or in part by North Korean nationals or North Korean citizens anywhere in the world” from entering the US.
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iPR Ogilvy & Mather, a public relations firm that represents Li-Ning, did not respond to a request for comment.
The US customs agency did not respond to questions about where in Li-Ning’s supply chain the North Korean labour was allegedly being used, or where in North Korea.
