That implies a whole other set of dirty tricks available - not only "laundering" products but using it to libel competitors or as a protection racket of sorts. Fungible commodities are a very awkward thing to differentiate, much less trace and proving that there is no basis is hard, especially if there are other counterfeit packagers.
If "Foo Fish" really uses only Pacific Cod but I find a package with Atlantic Cod printed and packed identically how can you prove a disregard for the truth or bad intentions in saying "Foo Fish contains lying mislabeled fish?" I sourced the fish from this store from this wholesaler with the same packaging.
Introducing PPKI could technically help but would be a logistical nightmare and vulnerable to copying.
Just over a year ago, at least two textile and fiber watchdogs faced scrutiny for their links to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a quasi-military organization that the U.S. government sanctioned in 2020 due to its role in operating mass internment camps and using forced labor in cotton fields.
Context: A lot of Adrian Zenz's "research" is pretty sketchy. However, a lot of criticism directed his way is straight up Chinese propaganda, which also means that anybody else questioning his methods gets labeled as a wumao shill.
>Clearly, the next step is to create a fake origin tracing firm.
The possibilities for disruption are endless.
One of the factors that influences international trade is the way a successfully loaded cargo can then change hands during transit or be diverted to a different destination port according to market forces.
The middlemen in this process have strong incentive to conceal the true cost per tonne of the wholesale material from the inquisitive beancounters of the ultimate payers.
The true origin may or may not be handled accordingly, depending on how important it is to avoid having the consumers begin sourcing the material more directly from the manufacturing facility, thereby bypassing some middlemen who could become disgruntled.
It might be a better business proposition to not swim against the flow of cargo ships.
It could be more lucrative being the firm which issues the best fake origin documents rather than the one revealing the true source using advanced scientific techniques.
It's always paid to expedite cargo and frowned upon to introduce any delays.
Don't ask me how I know.
Then again you could take it one step further and have a completely fake firm . . .
