Intent v. Effect of Uyghur Forced Labor Regulation

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which took effect on June 21, 2022, is aimed at stopping human rights abuses taking place in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. All goods coming from the region are assumed to be the result of forced labor unless the importer can prove otherwise – an uphill climb to be sure. Despite the good intent behind the law, many challenges remain. The United Nations recently found that human rights concerns exist, but China still holds a seat on the U.N. Human Rights council. Of all the supply chains affected by the law, solar panels are facing the greatest scrutiny and disruption so far. Can the impact of the UFLPA live up to the expectations? In this week's Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner follows up on the UFLPA post-enactment to see how the good intent of this new law is playing out in practice: • What the UFLPA is hoping to accomplish? • What has the implementation of the law been like so far? • What questions remain unanswered?