Shocking! Southeast Asia temporarily avoids 40% punitive tariffs, US' abacus' and seller red lines exposed
Date：2025-08-14 10:55:00 View：
On August 8th local time (US time), Reuters reported that it was like throwing a stone on the lake of international trade, causing ripples: although the United States has officially launched a new round of tariff measures on goods from multiple countries, the additional 40% punitive tariff imposed on "goods transshipment for tax avoidance" will not be immediately implemented in the short term.
Previously, US officials had pointed the finger at Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, questioning their assistance in facilitating Chinese goods to enter the US market through "transshipment" in order to avoid the high tariffs faced by direct exports to China.
On May 7th of this year, the Trump administration signed an executive order specifying that any goods identified as illegally transshipped or "origin washed" will face an additional 40% tariff. However, up to now, the US has not provided a clear and explicit definition of "transshipment".
Due to the lack of new regulations and rules, officials from multiple Southeast Asian countries quickly conveyed signals to export companies that the current rules of origin are still valid.
This means that at the current stage, only illegal activities such as forging export documents will trigger punitive tariffs.
It is understood that due to the new regulations on transshipment that have not yet been implemented, all exported goods from Thailand are still subject to a 19% tariff rate.
Overall, the tariff levels faced by Southeast Asian countries are still lower than the average tariff rate for Chinese goods, including both related taxes and specific product tariffs.
However, Trump's tariff offensive has profoundly changed the business landscape in the region. Manufacturers' profits have been eroded, and the drive for investment to shift production out of China has also been weakened.
It is worth noting that US officials in Vietnam have revealed key information to local companies: even if the goods are completely made of Chinese components and only assembled in Vietnam, the current 20% tariff is still applicable instead of the punitive 40%.
The Southeast Asian manufacturing industry has long been deeply dependent on China's supply chain, which makes the industry particularly sensitive to the direction of US policies.
At present, the core controversy lies in whether a product that has undergone legal processing in Southeast Asia but has a high proportion of Chinese raw materials will be recognized as "transshipment"?
Multiple investment institutions have issued warnings that the US is highly likely to introduce stricter recognition standards in the future. Faced with policy uncertainty, Southeast Asian export enterprises must take the initiative and actively respond:
01. Strictly control local quality
The top priority is to ensure that the product meets the safety line of 40% local ingredients, systematically streamline the supply chain, increase local procurement or processing links, and reduce risks from the source.
02. Strengthen file management
Establish a complete and traceable system of proof of origin, strictly control the documents at every stage, eliminate any defects in the documents, and prevent them from being identified as "illegal transshipment".
03. Dynamically assess risks
Pay close attention to the updates of US rules, especially the potential threshold for the proportion of Chinese parts that may be set. At the same time, maintain close communication with professional trade consultants and local business departments, timely obtain the latest information, and prepare in advance for response.
In this volatile international trade game, Southeast Asian export enterprises must remain vigilant and accurately grasp policy directions in order to steadily move forward in this turbulent sea of commerce.