China’s western region of Xinjiang has recorded an extraordinary rise in merchandise shipments to the United States, despite the area being subject to Washington trade restrictions imposed over allegations of forced labour and other human rights abuses.
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US-bound shipments from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region rose 265 per cent year on year to US$2.4 billion in the first seven months of the year, Chinese customs data showed.
The increase is startling given China’s overall exports to America have fallen sharply since US President Donald Trump imposed high tariffs on the country’s goods earlier this year, with shipments down 33.1 per cent year on year in August.
According to the data, the surge was largely driven by a large uptick in shipments of holiday decorations from Xinjiang to the US. Exports of Christmas decorations totalled US$151.7 million during the January-July period – 20 times the amount during the same period last year.
Holiday entertainment items – such as magic show equipment – were the second largest export category, followed by toys and models. Both showed sharp year-on-year increases, rising from about US$20 million to US$108.2 million and US$71.4 million, respectively.
The leap in exports came in spite of Washington’s enforcement of the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act in June 2022, which allows US authorities to scrutinise goods from Xinjiang suspected of being produced via forced labour. Beijing has repeatedly denied the US allegations.
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