The US identified Argentina as a "risk node" for the triangulation of Chinese products

Argentina is under scrutiny from the United States for its alleged exposure to a global network used to triangulate goods of Chinese origin and facilitate their entry into the U.S. market while avoiding tariffs.

The warning comes from a report by the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, titled The Great Transshipment Scam, which included the country in Level 3 of the so-called Shadow Transshipment Network.

The document identifies a structure involving more than 40 countries that, according to Washington, allows products manufactured in China to be sent first to third markets and then enter the United States under a different commercial identity, avoiding the high tariffs applied to Chinese imports.

Argentina appears among the “Latin American corridors”

The U.S. report places Argentina among the so-called “Latin American Corridors”, along with Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru.

According to the White House, these countries can serve as storage, assembly, or redistribution points for Chinese products through bonded warehouses, free trade zones, and logistics corridors that subsequently allow access to the U.S. market.

Argentina was classified within Level 3, reserved for what Washington calls “opportunistic targets.”

These are smaller-scale economies that do not necessarily concentrate the largest volumes of triangulation but can offer advantages for those seeking to evade trade controls: lower labor costs, port infrastructure, free trade zones, and limited customs capabilities.

However, inclusion in this category does not mean that the Argentine government or national companies are deliberately participating in the fraudulent scheme. The document itself acknowledges that these territories can be used for limited logistical or productive operations without necessarily involving the knowledge or participation of local authorities.

How the triangulation of Chinese products works

The mechanism pointed out by Washington is relatively simple. When a product manufactured in China faces high tariffs upon entering the United States directly, the exporter can first send it to a third country.

There, the goods can be stored, repackaged, or subjected to certain processes before being sent back to the United States, aiming to appear as originating from another market.

In this way, operators attempt to avoid the tariffs that Washington directly applies to Chinese products, generating a significant economic margin.

The report estimates that this type of fraud costs the United States around US$60 billion annually and claims it contributes to the displacement of about 450,000 jobs.

Washington refocuses on China in Argentina

The warning comes in a context of increasing dispute between the United States and China over economic, technological, and strategic influence in Latin America.

The U.S. ambassador to Argentina, Peter Lamelas, recently questioned the presence of Chinese companies in sectors considered strategic and urged Argentine companies to exclude Huawei from their infrastructure projects.

Lamelas stated that China requires its companies to provide information to the Chinese state and linked that concern to U.S. national security.

Washington's concerns also reached the Provincial Cooperative of Public and Community Services of Neuquén (CALF) due to its contract with Huawei to deploy a fiber optic network.