Compliance Risks and Technical Pathways for Cross-Border E-Commerce Enterprises Interfacing with the U.S. ACE System

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the global cross-border e-commerce market’s rapid expansion—with transactions projected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2025 (UNCTAD, 2023)—the U.S. Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system, which processes over 95% of U.S. import declarations, has become a critical regulatory barrier for enterprises entering the U.S. market. This study systematically identifies four core compliance risks faced by cross-border e-commerce enterprises when interfacing with the ACE system: data timeliness risk, coding accuracy risk, traceability risk, and privacy protection risk. By integrating the technical practice of Beijing Mint Information Consulting Co., Ltd.’s “Cross-Border Trade Express” system, a three-tiered integration architecture (interface layer-data layer-application layer) is proposed, and targeted technical solutions are developed for each risk dimension. Empirical validation through 12 enterprise cases (8 successful, 4 failed) shows that: (1) The three-tiered architecture reduces data transmission latency by 83.3% (from an average of 30 minutes to <5 minutes) and improves data submission timeliness compliance rate from 62% to 98%; (2) The coding rule engine integrated with customs standards cuts coding error rates from 10% (industry average) to 1.2%, avoiding tariff overpayments and fines averaging $420,000 per enterprise annually; (3) The blockchain-based traceability system enhances supply chain information completeness by 92%, reducing goods detention duration by an average of 68%; (4) AES-256 encryption and role-based access control reduce data breach risks by 97%, fully complying with U.S. Privacy Act requirements.

This study fills the theoretical gap in the integration of technical architecture and regulatory compliance for ACE system interfacing, and provides a replicable technical framework for cross-border e-commerce enterprises. The research results have been validated in practice: enterprises adopting the proposed solutions achieve a 47% reduction in ACE-related penalties and a 35% improvement in customs clearance efficiency, significantly enhancing their competitiveness in the U.S. market.