Trump’s war on tariff evasion could turn into a battle over global manufacturing

News analysis

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• The report issued by the White House, titled “The Great Transshipment Scam”, framed the routing of Chinese goods through an intermediate lower-tariff country as an elaborate scheme to conceal their true origin.

• US tariff policies have unintentionally encouraged companies to reroute production and shipments to evade tariffs, complicating trade enforcement.

• A major challenge ahead is defining product origin amid global supply chains, with potential changes threatening to disrupt international trading rules and relations, including with China and ASEAN countries.

AI generated

PHILADELPHIA – The Trump administration’s new crackdown on tariff evasion may eventually trigger a bigger confrontation over what “Made in China” really means.

Most trade experts say the Aug 13 White House report on alleged China-linked transshipment is less an intellectually rigorous economic analysis than a political document designed to reinforce the administration’s case for tariffs and tougher enforcement.

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