Chinese attempts to evade U.S. trade restrictions will make it harder for manufacturers to identify risks in supply chains. The WSJ’s Heather Somerville reports that Chinese companies are setting up U.S. subsidiaries and partnering with American entrepreneurs to evade growing Pentagon blacklists. In December, China-based lidar sensor maker Hesai Group, which the U.S. has labeled a security concern, registered a new company called American Lidar close to the big three U.S. automakers in Michigan. A congressional panel last month said Massachusetts-based Innomics recently changed its name to distance itself from its parent company BGI Group. Hesai and BGI Group deny links to China’s military. U.S. specialists say the evasion efforts will only intensify as America accelerates its crackdown on Chinese companies. That will pose a challenge to U.S. importers who will need to do even more digging to ensure suppliers and sub suppliers aren’t affiliated with blacklisted entities.

The growing hunt for bargains in the grocery aisle is boosting business for store-directed manufacturing and distribution. Americans are loading up on lower-cost store-brand goods as food-price inflation takes a bigger bite out of pocketbooks. The WSJ’s Jesse Newman and Stephanie Stamm write that private-label goods are growing in popularity following a 26% increase in food prices over the past five years and now make up a record 22% of spending in grocery stores. Companies such as Campbell Soup and Mondelez say the competition is eating into their business. Meanwhile, retailers such as Walmart are putting more money into private-label brands while companies that specialize in store-brand goods, such as Aldi, are pushing expansion plans. Henk Hartong, the CEO of a private-label supplier, says retailers will need to secure more manufacturing capacity if they want to realize their ambitions for their own brands.

The Federal Reserve says worries about inflation, high interest rates and political uncertainty are weighing on the U.S. economy. (MarketWatch)

The International Monetary Fund is raising economic growth forecasts this year for China. (WSJ)

German consumer confidence rose for a fourth month in a row. (WSJ)

The U.K.’s Royal Mail will be bought by a Czech billionaire for almost $5 billion. (WSJ)

Mining giant BHP is abandoning its $50 billion takeover bid for Anglo American. (WSJ)

ConocoPhillips is acquiring Marathon Oil in a $17.1 billion deal. (WSJ)

BYD is launching hybrid cars with a 1,300-mile driving range. (WSJ)

Jeep plans to launch a $25,000 electric vehicle in the U.S. (WSJ)

A union representing Samsung Electronics workers in South Korea is calling for the first strike in the technology titan’s history. (WSJ)

Prologis is selling 20 industrial properties in Minneapolis to Swedish private-equity firm EQT. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Homecoming Capital has pledged $50 million to port-infrastructure developer Clean Energy Terminals. (WSJ)

China’s yuan hit a six-month low in trading against the dollar. (Nikkei Asia)

U.S. officials are asking the Mexican government to look into potential labor rights violations at a Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico. (Bloomberg)

A U.S.-built pier that has helped deliver aid to Gaza is being removed and repaired after getting damaged in rough seas. (Associated Press)

Container lines are increasingly bypassing the congested Port of Singapore. (Journal of Commerce)

Diana Shipping’s first-quarter profit tumbled 91% to $2.1 million on falling dry-bulk revenues. (ShippingWatch)

Lars-Christian Svensen is stepping down as chief executive of John Fredriksen-backed dry bulk player Golden Ocean Group. (Splash 247)

Engine maker Cummins is leasing a 1 million-square-foot site south of Indianapolis for a logistics facility that will be run by DHL. (Daily Journal)

Campbell Soup is closing its plant in Tualatin, Ore. (Food Business News)

Former Amazon executive Stacey Wallace is the new chief supply chain officer at packaged meals producer FreshRealm. (Supply Chain Dive)

U.S. authorities have suspended several customs brokers from
using the de minimis tariff exemptions as part of a crackdown on the program. (The Information)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.