U.S. Accuses 40-Plus Countries of Helping China Circumvent Tariffs

The White House said in a report that more than 40 countries had helped China circumvent US tariffs by routing exports through nations facing lower American import duties.

US President Donald Trump’s administration is accusing more than 40 countries of helping Chinese exporters circumvent US tariffs through transshipment.

The countries named include Canada, India, Mexico, Japan and South Korea, Osmond Chia reported for BBC News.

The White House said the countries had helped China avoid tens of billions of dollars in tariffs imposed on imported goods. US trade adviser Peter Navarro said the practice had cost “American jobs and billions in revenue.”

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that “trade wars have no winners” and that Beijing opposed US tariff measures and the use of state power to target Chinese companies.

Between $30 billion and roughly $300 billion worth of goods had been moved from countries facing higher tariffs through countries with lower rates, according to government and private-sector estimates cited by the White House.

“Any unilateral actions or agreements concerning transshipped goods must not target or harm the interests of third parties,” the spokesperson said.

The report follows a series of trade measures and sanctions between the US and China and comes weeks before US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.

The practice is known as transshipment, in which cargo is routed through another country before reaching its final destination.