What “Made in China” actually means

Enlarge this image A ‘made in China’ sticker is seen on a shipping crate of items seized by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for further inspection at the Air Freight Federal Inspection Facility near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on February 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images A ‘made in China’ sticker is seen on a shipping crate of items seized by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for further inspection at the Air Freight Federal Inspection Facility near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on February 4, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Virtually every product brought into the United States must have a so-called “country of origin.” Think of it as the official place it comes from. And this is the country that counts for calculating tariffs. But what does it really mean when something is a “Product of China”? How much of it actually comes from China? And how do customs officials draw the line? Here in the U.S., the rules are delightfully counterintuitive. A product’s country of origin is not necessarily where that product got on the container ship to come here. It’s not necessarily where most of its ingredients are from or even where most of the manufacturing happened. Sponsor Message Our system is much stranger. The answers can be surprisingly philosophical — and at times, even poetic. This episode of Planet Money was produced by James Sneed with help from Sylvie Douglis. It was edited by Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Kwesi Lee. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Music: Source Audio – “Make Your Entrance,” “Tanga,” and “Kumbatia.”