White House report names Kazakhstan among 40 countries in China transshipment risk list
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
The White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy has named Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan among more than 40 countries it sees as potential links in schemes to transship Chinese goods and evade U.S. tariffs. The report, titled "The Great Transshipment Scam," places Kazakhstan in a third-tier group of economies with smaller trade volumes but attractive transit infrastructure. Washington separately clusters Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia as Belt and Road land hubs for rail and road transshipment.
Key Facts
- The White House report "The Great Transshipment Scam" identifies more than 40 countries as potential links in schemes to evade U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.
- Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are placed in a third-tier group alongside Azerbaijan, Georgia, Argentina, the UAE, Switzerland, Oman and Kenya.
- The report separately clusters Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia as Belt and Road land hubs for rail and road transshipment.
- The White House describes methods including relabeling, repackaging, altered invoices, minimal processing and false country-of-origin declarations.
- The report does not allege that Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan have violated U.S. law; it assesses potential risks and infrastructure vulnerabilities.
The White House Report
The White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy released a report titled "The Great Transshipment Scam" outlining how goods from high-tariff countries are routed through states with more favorable tariff regimes and then exported to the United States under a different origin. The report identifies China as the main source of such risks, stating that Chinese exporters began using third countries more actively after additional U.S. tariffs on Chinese products took effect in 2018. The White House divided more than 40 potentially linked states into three groups based on trade volumes and the nature of the risk. The first group includes the largest U.S. trading partners: Canada, the European Union, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan. The second group comprises countries with substantial transshipment volumes and deep integration into Chinese supply chains, including Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Placement
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan appear in the third group together with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Argentina, the UAE, Switzerland, Oman, Kenya and several other states. The White House assesses these as economies with smaller trade volumes that may be attractive for transit due to free economic zones, customs control features and logistics infrastructure. The report states that China-linked exporters may use such countries for limited processing of products and for building new delivery routes. Washington separately clusters Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia as Belt and Road land hubs, citing their role in rail and road transit, cargo consolidation and redirection from land routes to sea routes.
Legal Status of Findings
The inclusion of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the list does not mean U.S. authorities have established specific facts of violations of American law by these states. The report assesses potential risks and the possible use of their transport and trade infrastructure to circumvent tariff restrictions.
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White House report names Kazakhstan among 40 countries in China transshipment risk list
