At Singapore's National Day on Aug
23, Minister Wong addressed recent US concerns that Chinese
goods were routed through other countries in Asia to
circumvent American tariffs.
He said the government would act on
credible evidence of wrongdoing and not
allow the country to be used as a conduit
for illegal trade. He also acknowledged
that Singapore could not trace and verify
every product's full supply chain.
His remarks followed the Aug 13 White
House report, The Great Transshipment
Scam, which included Singapore among more than 40 economies described as presenting an elevated risk of illegal transshipment.
On Aug 14, Singapore Customs charged three people and a company registered
here over allegations that China-made
mattresses had been declared as Singapore-origin goods before export to the US.
PM Wong's observation about the limits
of supply-chain verification reflects a wider geoeconomic problem, as sharp differences in tariff rates strengthen incentives
to route products through jurisdictions
where duties are lower.
Singapore can investigate suspect trade
declarations filed with its authorities,
though checking every transaction would slow the legitimate trade on which the hub depends.
For further reading, please visit The Business Times here where this article was first published on 28 August 2026.