German automaker BMW imported 8,000 Mini Cooper vehicles into the United States with components from a banned Chinese supplier, a US Senate report released on Monday revealed.
Congress in 2021 passed legislation to strengthen enforcement of laws to prevent the import of goods from China’s Xinjiang region believed to have been produced with forced labour.
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A report by Senate Finance Committee chair Ron Wyden’s staff said BMW imported 8,000 vehicles with parts from a supplier banned under the 2021 law and that BMW continued to import products with the banned parts until at least April.
BMW did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The disclosure comes amid an escalating trade war between China and the US. Last week US President Joe Biden announced tariff hikes on a range of Chinese imports, from electric vehicles, to computer chips and medical products.
And over the weekend, Beijing hit back with bans on US firms linked to arms sold to Taiwan and a probe into imports of a type of plastic.
- Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara
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