BarcelonaBrussels is considering a new move in its trade war with China. The European Commission wants to impose tariffs on goods that Europeans buy directly from retailers from Chinese companies, such as Temu, AliExpress and Shein. As I mentioned Financial TimesIt specifically aims to eliminate the €150 threshold below which goods are exempt from customs duties.
According to the same data from the European Commission, last year the EU imported up to 2.3 billion goods of this type from online retailers at a cost of less than 150 euros, and therefore free of customs duties. In addition, the EU executive warns that Europeans’ e-commerce with Chinese brands is doubling year after year, and in April alone, more than 350,000 products were purchased.
Brussels also criticizes Chinese companies for taking advantage of state support they receive from Beijing to deliver low-cost shipments to the EU. On the other hand, remember that this measure will affect all companies outside the EU bloc, but remember for example that Amazon, which is based in the United States, usually uses shipping points and sellers based in the regional community
Last year, the European Commission already put on the table the possibility of applying taxes to all retail imports from China, including those under €150. Now Brussels will consider it again in the face of a significant and accelerating increase in the purchase of cheap Chinese products by EU citizens.
Opposition from some countries
However, the European Commission’s initiative may face resistance from some member states, who believe that it could increase the workload they have to do at their borders and in customs controls. In fact, some countries, according to Financial TimesThey complained that customs officials already had a lot of work to do in this regard.
The three major online shopping platforms that could be affected by the move have indicated they are willing to work with Brussels to comply with the regulations. Timo insists that his business model does not rely on the kind of cheap items he sells in the EU and that he is “open” to complying with “all the policies that lawmakers have put forward” in the EU. AliExpress also says it has already contacted the European Commission to work together and is complying with EU market rules, while Shein says it “fully supports” the customs rights reforms that the Community executive wants to push through.
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