D&B Lists Laogai Enterprises with Products Banned by U.S. Customs Service
 
The importation of products made with forced labor is illegal in the United States under Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930. In the first sixty years of the law’s existence, the United States government took action twice — against products made in the Soviet Union’s Gulag and in a Mexican prison.
 
Since 1991, the Laogai Research Foundation has pressed for investigations of Laogai exports to the United States. Between 1991 and 1996, the United States Customs Service banned from import to America 28 different products coming from 26 Laogai camps. Under existing procedures, the Customs Service issues a detention order (dates for such an order are found in column 1 below) which notifies all agents that a certain product from a suspect facility is to be seized at the port of entry.
The Dun & Bradstreet Directory lists 16 of the 26 Laogai enterprises whose products are banned by the U.S. Customs Service. As can be seen from the list, there is no correlation between the size or productivity of a Laogai enterprise and its involvement in export trade.
 
Laogai Camps with Products Banned by Customs Service Found In Survey
Det. Order Date
Business Name
Sales US$
Out. Value US$
Assets US$
10/3/91, 6/24/92
Shanghai Laodong Steel Pipes Factory
$3,254,500.00
$34,392,000.00
$7,348,000.00
7/8/93
Hangzhou Wulin Machine Factory
$23,158,000.00
$21,995,000.00
$8,596,000.00
11/14/91
Yunnan Jinma Diesel Engine Plant
$17,464,000.00
$13,344,000.00
$5,597,000.00
9/1/93
Shenyang Northeast Promoter General Plant
$17,201,000.00
$13,886,000.00
$8,678,000.00
2/25/92
Shandong Laiyang Heavy Machinery Works
$14,983,000.00
$17,783,000.00
$5,174,000.00
6/26/92
Sichuan Wangcang Coal and Iron Factory
$12,883,000.00
$12,262,000.00
$8,302,000.00
9/3/93
Liaoning Province Shenyang Rubber Plant
$12,503,000.00
$13,247,000.00
$3,061,000.00
10/6/95
Tianjin Malleable Iron Factory
$12,039,000.00
$11,048,000.00
$7,659,000.00
12/2/91
Xuzhou Forging and Pressing Equipment Man.
$10,197,000.00
$12,525,000.00
$8,367,000.00
8/6/93
Zhejiang Wuyi Machinery Plant
$9,997,000.00
$8,635,000.00
$10,760,000.00
10/3,25/91,6/24/92
Shanghai Laodong Machinery Factory
$9,826,000.00
$10,093,000.00
$6,196,000.00
8/3/92
Sichuan Xinsheng Laodong Factory
$7,318,000.00
$8,247,000.00
$3,036,000.00
8/14/92
Sichuan Xinkang Asbestos Mine
$4,798,000.00
$5,005,000.00
$10,432,000.00
5/22/92
Qinghai Qunxing Industry Company
$4,558,000.00
$4,673,000.00
$2,814,000.00
7/15/92
Ya'an Vehicle Fittings General Factory
$3,825,000.00
$2,752,000.00
$2,178,000.00
1/7/92
Shandong Dezhou Shengjian Machinery Factory
$1,276,000.00
$1,198,000.00
$2,869,000.00
 

 

TOTALS:
$194,571,000.00
$191,085,000.00
$101,067,000.00
 
It is interesting to note that with the exception of the Tianjin Malleable Iron Factory, all of these forced labor camps were cited by the U.S. Customs Service in 1991, 1992, or 1993, well prior to D&B’s publication of the Directory. Their inclusion in this volume is further evidence that the Chinese government remains uninterested, despite its protestations to the contrary, to take action to end Laogai exports. In fact, they continue to promote overseas business, albeit, less openly.
The Customs Service claims to have numerous open investigations into suspect forced labor camps in China. Procedures under which China’s Ministry of Justice is to provide to the U.S. State Department and Customs Service information upon request and access to Laogai facilities are consistently ignored by the Chinese government. The continued violation of bilateral agreements by the Chinese side has paralyzed the entire investigation process of the United States government.
 
Laogai Camps with Products Banned by Customs Service NOT Found In Survey
 
The D&B Directory does not list the camps charted below for which detention orders were issued. The Laogai Research Foundation does not yet have detailed financial information on these camps, all of which were found to export products to the international market.
Det. Order Date
Business Name
10/29/91*
Beijing Qinghe Knitting Mill
11/6/91
Xiangyang Machine Tool Plant
2/25/92+
Guangdong Red Star Tea Farm
5/22/92#
Beijing Qinghe Farm
6/26/92
Miao Xi Tea Farm
7/15/92
Sichuan Zi Gong Machinery Plant
7/17/92
Dawei Chemical Factory
12/24/94
Guangdong Province No. 1 Laojiao Camp
4/27/95
Nanhu Tree Farm
3/6/96
Tianjin Tongbao Fittings Company
 

 

 

 

* Cancelled 12/13/93 + Cancelled 9/30/94 #Cancelled 1/7/94
 
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