The US government wants to curb the import of cheap Chinese goods. New rules would close a “loophole” that Chinese companies like Temu, Shein and AliExpress use to ship cheap goods to the United States.
The Chinese companies ship their packages directly to American consumers, using the de minimis exemption to avoid import tariffs on the shipments.
This exemption allows shipments worth less than $800 (approximately €720) to enter the US without being subject to import duties and taxes.
Large sales platforms like Amazon usually send their goods in bulk to a warehouse. They therefore pay all taxes and import duties. In addition, this method of shipping ensures less emissions.
According to the U.S. government, the number of packages entering the country under the de minimis rule has risen sharply in recent years. Ten years ago, around 140 million packages came in per year; now that number is more than 1 billion per year. That’s why U.S. ministers announced on Friday that new rules will be introduced that will exclude many cheap Chinese goods from the exemption, reports news agency Bloomberg .
The European Union is also trying to curb the import of cheap products. Earlier, the European Commission announced that it would keep an eye on Shein. The fashion web shop had to prove that it does not sell illegal or counterfeit items.
It is not yet clear whether Europe will also introduce new rules to limit the import of cheap products.
