The order targets importers that are largely unknown to US Customs and Border Protection, as well as importers using diversions from one country to another to reduce their duty exposure.
With the EU about to follow the US in scrapping duty-free imports of low-value goods, the expanding regulatory clampdown is a turning point in how huge volumes of e-commerce exports from China are monitored.
Carriers and their affiliates now own about 50% of worldwide terminal capacity, coming close to double what it was 10 years ago, according to various industry estimates.
