Republicans’ ANTE Act Targets China’s Tariff-Dodging Schemes

Republicans are cracking down on China’s sneaky trade tactics with a new bill aimed at closing loopholes that allow Chinese manufacturers to dodge U.S. tariffs. Introduced by House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), the Axing Nonmarket Tariff Evasion (ANTE) Act targets subsidized and state-owned companies setting up shop in third countries to skirt hefty tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

Trump’s tariffs, which hit China with a 30% rate after an initial 145% shock, have slashed Chinese imports to their lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent Commerce Department report. Yet, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has found workarounds, rerouting goods through countries like Mexico or relabeling them to mask their origins. This place-of-origin washing lets them slip past high tariffs, a move Arrington’s legislation seeks to block.

“China’s been playing fast and loose with our trade rules, costing American jobs and undercutting our economy,” Arrington said. His bill ensures that goods must undergo substantial transformation—a significant value-adding process—in a third country to claim its origin, aligning with U.S. trade law.

Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), pushing a companion bill in the Senate, put it bluntly: “The CCP can’t just slap a ‘Made in Mexico’ label on their goods and call it a day. We’re closing that backdoor.” The issue isn’t just big business—Chinese social media is buzzing with ads offering tariff-dodging services, while South Korea’s customs agency reports a spike in similar schemes.

This bill signals a broader push to level the playing field for American workers and manufacturers, ensuring fair trade in a global economy where clever accounting too often trumps honest competition.