Correspondence
Email sent to the contact address for Zhou International Corp.
The email said that Zhou International Corp. has imported shipments of seafood from a supplier called Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Products, based in China. Qingdao Tianyuan has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under a state-imposed labor transfer program. The United Nations, human rights organizations and academic experts agree that since 2018, the Chinese government has systematically subjected Xinjiang’s predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to forced labor across the country via state-sanctioned employment schemes which use coercive methods in worker enrollment and obstruct freedom to leave employment. The U.S. has prohibited the importation of goods produced from state-imposed forced labor. The email asked for comment.