After US authorities decided to detain Chinese sportswear giant Li Ning’s goods claiming that the firm uses North Korean labour in its supply chain, Li Ning has pushed back against the same and has called the allegations incorrect and misleading.
Following its investigation,the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining merchandise produced or manufactured by Li Ning at all US ports of entry.
In a statement, CBP said that such merchandise will not be entitled to entry unless the importer provides clear and convincing evidence that their merchandise was not produced with convict labour, forced labour or indentured labour under penal sanctions within 30 days of notice of detention.
It added if the company fails to provide clear and convincing evidence within this timeframe, the merchandise may be subject to seizure and forfeiture.
Meanwhile, Li Ning has said, “As a professional sports brand company, the Group has a sound corporate governance system in place, strictly complies with the laws, regulations and compliance policies of China, and upholds ethical standards.”
Regarding labour utilisation, the sportswear giant said that it strictly prohibits and opposes any form of forced labour employed by its suppliers, and always upholds human rights and legal rights of workers, which are the basic principles for the company’s cooperation with all supplier partners.
“To date, during the operation and review process, the company has not discovered any case of forced labour in the supplier management system,” it said.
