The administration said Tren de Aragua amounted to a threat by a hostile nation. Intelligence agencies determined otherwise.

Some Chinese exporters are routing goods through third countries to skirt the steep tariffs the United States has imposed on the world's second-largest economy. Chinese social media platforms are increasingly being courted by freight brokers offering the service since the Trump administration hiked duties on Chinese imports to as high as 245 percent.

President Donald Trump says tariffs on Chinese imports to the United States will eventually be lowered, after both Beijing and Washington appeared to soften their positions about potential trade talks.