US Targets Chinese Steel and Lithium for Forced-Labor Scrutiny

The Trump administration said it will step up scrutiny of imports of steel, copper, lithium and other materials from China to enforce a US ban on goods allegedly made with forced labor in the country’s Xinjiang region.

The announcement of new “high-priority sectors” targeted under the four-year-old Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was included Tuesday in an annual update to the US government’s enforcement efforts. It also dovetails with President Donald Trump’s broader trade goals, as he seeks to lower the US trade deficit with China and pressures Beijing to curb shipments of fentanyl and precursor chemicals.