World’s biggest bike manufacturer warns of import delays after surprise US customs ban
By
Wayne Chang
,
John Liu
11 hr ago
Workers checking e-bike parts at a ...
Taipei, Taiwan/Hong Kong —
Giant, the world’s largest bike manufacturer, on Thursday warned of delays to shipments to the United States after American customs officials announced a surprise ban on imports over unspecified forced labor accusations.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued an order on Wednesday to detain Giant bikes, their parts, and accessories manufactured in Taiwan following an investigation into the bike-making powerhouse that found indicators of forced labor.
Giant told CNN that it would file a petition to seek the revocation of the order, adding that it had not been previously aware of any US probe into its business. It said it would cooperate with CBP.
The American border agency said its probe identified abuse of vulnerability, abusive working and living conditions, debt bondage, withholding of wages, and excessive overtime. It did not provide further details or evidence of Giant’s alleged forced labor practice.
“Giant profited by imposing such abuse, resulting in goods produced below market value and undercutting American businesses by millions of dollars in unjustly earned profits,” the agency said in a Wednesday statement.
Giant said that it had not been approached for comment as part of the CBP investigation.
“As far as we are aware, there have not been investigations, interviews, site visits, or formal requests for information from the US authorities,” Ken Li, Giant Group’s spokesperson, told CNN. “At this stage, we have not yet had direct engagement with them.”
“Giant Group is firmly committed to upholding human rights and labor protections,” it said in a statement.
It added that it has established internal mechanisms and third-party audits to ensure compliance with international standards.
A worker checking e-bike parts at the factory of Giant, the world's biggest bicycle manufacturer, in Taichung, Taiwan, on May 21, 2029.
Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images
The order came as bilateral relations between Taiwan and the United States are tested by President Donald Trump’s global tariff offensive, with tariff negotiations ongoing.
When asked by CNN if Giant believed the CBP order was related to ongoing tariff negotiations, the spokesman said the company “made no assumptions.”
Giant operates manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Netherlands and Hungary. But only shipments made in Taiwan would be affected, Giant said.
CBP has about 50 active orders against products from companies in China, Japan and South Korea because of forced labor allegations.
Giant said delays in some shipments to the US were expected in the short term while it activated contingency measures to minimize the impact.
Founded in 1972, Giant has become the world’s largest manufacturer of bicycles, with more than $2.3 billion in sales last year, the company website said. It currently employs more than 13,000 people globally, and it sold nearly 4 million bikes sold worldwide last year, according to the company’s annual report.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Thursday it would coordinate with the Labor Ministry to assist Giant in swiftly addressing the issue.
Taiwan is one of the world’s most advances economies, known for its dominance in high-tech products and quality manufacturing. But certain sectors have been increasingly reliant on migrant workers and in some industries – like fishing – there have been past reports of labor abuses.
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