The Trump administration is detaining clothing, gold, diamonds and other items believed to have been produced with forced labor by five companies based in Brazil, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malaysia and Zimbabwe.
An official at US Customs and Border Protection, Brenda Smith, says her agency issued orders to immediately detain the goods at US ports of entry for further investigation.
The move comes amid a wide-ranging trade dispute between the US and China, which has led to new tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of goods.
Smith says the "message here is that one of the ways the US and China can collaborate together is to ensure that forced labour is not used".
She says the companies can re-export the detained shipments or submit information to show they're legal.
The companies sanctioned are Bonechar Carvao Ativado Do Brasil Ltda; Hetian Taida Apparel Co Ltd in Xinjiang, China; WRP Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd in Malaysia; and Marange Diamond Fields in Zimbabwe. The action also covers gold mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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