U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Thursday that it has issued an order banning the import of automobile tires produced at the Chinese-owned Linglong factory in Serbia, citing allegations that the products were made using forced labor.
“CBP officers will detain shipments of these tires at all U.S. ports of entry due to evidence indicating the use of forced labor in their production,” the agency said in a statement.
According to the announcement, the order applies to tires manufactured at Linglong’s plant in northern Serbia and is the result of an investigation and analysis of information indicating that the tires were produced using forced labor. The evidence includes worker testimonies, photographs, employment contracts, field notes from focus groups, screenshots of text messages, reports by non-governmental organizations, media investigations, and academic research.
CBP stated that this evidence showed workers at Linglong were exposed to nine indicators of forced labor as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO): confiscation of identity documents, intimidation and threats, isolation, excessive overtime, withholding of wages, debt bondage, abusive living and working conditions, deception, and abuse of vulnerability.
“The message is clear: the United States will not tolerate forced labor in supply chains,” said Rodney S. Scott, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Susan S. Thomas, Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade, said that “Americans should not have to compete with products made through exploitation.”
“By preventing goods produced with forced labor from entering the U.S. market, CBP helps ensure that American workers and businesses can compete on a level playing field,” Thomas said, adding that according to CBP data, tires from the Chinese-owned factory in Serbia are being imported or are likely to be imported into the United States.
CBP added that importers of detained shipments may request their destruction or re-export, or attempt to demonstrate that the goods were not produced using forced labor.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Balkan Service has repeatedly reported on the Linglong factory in Zrenjanin and allegations of worker abuse and labor rights violations.
At the beginning of 2024, the non-governmental organization Astra filed a criminal complaint on behalf of 11 workers from India, alleging human trafficking and labor exploitation.
Several years earlier, there were also suspicions regarding the exploitation of several hundred workers from Vietnam, who were involved in the construction of the factory in Zrenjanin at the time.
In a 2021 resolution, the European Parliament called on Serbia to investigate the case of “modern slavery.” However, the case was closed without legal proceedings, and the workers were returned to Vietnam.
Linglong denied responsibility, claiming that the workers had been hired by one of the company’s subcontractors.
Due to allegations of forced labor, the U.S. State Department, in its 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report, stated that “the Government of the Republic of Serbia has not fully investigated credible allegations of forced labor, including passport confiscation and inhumane working and living conditions, but has continued to claim that Vietnamese and Indian workers are not victims of human trafficking.” /RFE/RL
