CBP Issues Withhold Release Order on XPCC Cotton

CBP issued a withhold release order on all cotton products made by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said in a Dec. 2 call with reporters. “The WRO applies to all cotton and cotton products produced by the XPCC and its subordinate and affiliated entities as well as any products that are made in whole or in part with or derived from that cotton, such as apparel, garments, and textiles,” CBP said in a news release.

The government is still considering a “regional” WRO for the Xinjiang region in China, though the XPCC order has a much broader reach than previous WROs that apply to individual companies, Morgan said. CBP previously considered XPCC and regional WROs, but declined to go ahead with those in September (see 2009140040)

XPCC is said to produce 7% or more of the world's cotton (see 2008250018). “We fully recognize this imposes some challenges,” but “industry has been on notice for more than a year,” Department of Homeland Security acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said.