South Korea busts tariff dodgers: South Korea’s customs agency is planning to crack down on the rise of a phenomenon that saw Chinese foreign goods from China disguise as Korean products in attempts to circumvent US tariffs, Reuters reports, citing the Korea Customs Service. The Korea Customs Service has identified nearly KRW 29.5 bn (USD 21 mn) worth of goods falsely marked as being of South Korean origin, some 97% of which were US-bound.

This is just the beginning: South Korea expects to see an increase in attempts to avoid US tariffs by foreign companies — like those in China — by using South Korea as a transit point. South Korean customs and US officials held a meeting yesterday to discuss conducting a joint investigation into the matter.

Not the first evasion tactic: US President Donald Trump shut down a tariff loophole in February that allowed some Chinese firms to ship goods into Mexico in bulk and break them down into small packages before they are sent to the US, circumventing duties that are normally applied to larger shipments.

West Africa gets new Maersk warehouse: Danish shipping firm Maersk has opened a new 10k sqm warehouse facility in Senegal to provide supply chain solutions in the country, enhance cross-border transportation to neighboring West African countries, and improve the logistics infrastructure in the region, according to a statement released on Thursday. The warehouse will handle a wide range of commodities, including fast-moving consumer goods, retail merchandise, lifestyle products, and technology items.

More on the facility: The warehouse — located between the Port of Dakar and Dakar’s industrial area — boasts 5.1k sqm of indoor storage capacity, 7k pallet positions, and 500 sqm of outdoor storage. It is positioned in close-proximity to end markets, manufacturing operations, and port facilities. About 60% of the warehouse’s energy needs will be solar-powered.

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