Nearly US$30 million worth of US fashion imports have been stopped for forced labour inspections since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) came into effect last June, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

A total of 631 apparel, footwear and textile shipments with a combined value of US$29.55 million have been stopped under UFLPA which restricts imports of products originating from the Xinjiang region of China on the presumption they are made with forced labour.

Some 261 of these shipments were denied entry following examination by US Customs, while 136 were cleared for entry after importers successfully showed they were not the results of forced labour while a further 234 are still pending.