According to Bloomberg's report on August 13th, the Trump administration is developing an AI-driven 'border detection' tool, which will be used to target trading partners that the US considers to be 'collaborating with China to evade US tariffs'.
According to reports, a report released by the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy on Thursday falsely accused dozens of countries of being involved in China’s so-called “shadow trading networks”. The report classified these countries based on the scale of their trade with China, the depth of economic integration with China, and the vulnerabilities that make them susceptible to trafficking activities.
The report mentions that the White House’s tools for ‘detecting, preventing, and controlling’ customs evasion are being deployed. These tools include an AI-driven ‘border detection’ system, which compares cargo data with transportation history, identifies production capacity and ownership relationships, and even analyzes packaging patterns at ports and X-ray images to detect discrepancies between declared goods and the actual cargo in containers.
The report from White House trade advisor Navarro's office claims that more than 40 countries are associated with the higher so-called “illegal transshipment risks,” including Mexico and Canada, which border the United States, as well as the European Union, India, Japan, and South Korea. Countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, and Malaysia are also mentioned.
The report also states that these related revenues also benefit the transit countries themselves. “Local businesses gain from assembly costs, storage income, logistics profits, port fees, customs clearance fees, land rent, and investments in export processing zones. The government benefits from employment, tax revenue, foreign investment, and trade growth.”
There are also some countries that draw attention due to their comparative advantages, such as low labor costs, strategic port locations, relaxed customs enforcement, or the presence of free trade zones.
According to data from AI supply chain companies, cited by US media, during the period from February 2025 to February 2026, the total value of goods involved in so-called "illegal transshipment" activities amounted to approximately $75 billion. As a result, the US has lost customs revenue between $19 billion and $34 billion.
Last year, the United States loudly claimed that goods transported through third countries would be subject to a 40% transit tax. China responded by stating that it always believes there is no winner in tariff wars and trade wars; advocating protectionism harms the common interests of all countries.
Regarding the trade agreements reached between the United States and countries like Vietnam that involve the transit of goods, China has also made it clear that such negotiations and agreements should not target or harm the interests of third parties. China firmly opposes any party using the sacrifice of China’s interests as a means to reach deals. If such situations occur, China will resolutely counter them and protect its legitimate rights and interests.
