One of the striking aspects of the report is that its criticism extends well beyond China.

The White House identified more than 40 economies as having elevated risks associated with Chinese transshipment, including:

The dispute reflects a deeper problem that tariffs alone cannot easily solve.

China remains deeply embedded in global manufacturing supply chains. Even when American imports directly from China fall, Chinese-made components and products can enter the United States indirectly through factories and trading hubs elsewhere.

The administration says it intends to use artificial intelligence to make that distinction faster.

The proposed system, known as “Detective Border,” is designed to compare customs declarations with broader trade data and identify inconsistencies in a shipment's stated origin, route and components.

The idea reflects a recognition that modern supply chains are too complex for customs officials to inspect shipment by shipment.

A suspicious pattern might emerge not from one container but from thousands of transactions: a sudden increase in exports from a Southeast Asian country, a corresponding increase in imports from China, or a mismatch between a company's claimed production capacity and the volume of goods it sends to the US.

The administration's accusation raises a question that goes beyond China:

Can tariffs reshape global manufacturing if companies can reorganize supply chains faster than governments can police them?

For Washington, the answer increasingly appears to be tougher rules of origin, more scrutiny of third-country trade and greater use of data and artificial intelligence.

For American importers, however, the crackdown could mean higher compliance costs and greater uncertainty.

Companies that source components from China while assembling finished products elsewhere may face additional scrutiny over how much processing is required before a product can legitimately claim a new country of origin.

For countries caught between Washington and Beijing, the issue could become politically sensitive.

Being identified as a transshipment risk does not necessarily mean being accused of wrongdoing — but it puts those countries on notice that their trade relationships with China could affect their access to the US market.

The therefore represents more than another salvo in the US-China tariff war. It is an attempt by Washington to police the routes around the tariffs — and to make the entire global supply chain part of the trade battle.