BEIJING: Beijing urged France on Thursday (Sep 3) to abandon its recently implemented law on ultra-fast fashion, lambasting the new measure targeting major Asian e-commerce platforms including Shein and Temu as “clearly discriminatory”.
The law, which came into effect on Tuesday, imposes fees on certain items that will eventually reach almost 20 euros per garment, part of a push to curb the industry’s environmental and local economic impacts.
“China urges France to immediately halt the implementation of the anti-ultra-fast fashion law,” commerce ministry spokeswoman Huang Ling said when asked about the law at a news conference.
Huang said that China is in “firm opposition to France’s insistence on pushing forward this trade-restrictive measure, which is clearly discriminatory”.
“Should France persist in this course of action, China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” she warned.
“France will bear full responsibility for all consequences arising from this.”
Under the French legislation, ultra-fast fashion is determined according to two criteria: the volume of clothing placed on the market and the cost of repairing garments relative to their purchase price.
The per-item fee will vary on a set scale according to how each product scores on both these standards.
Shein, known for its ultra-low prices and rapidly produced clothes, made a tepid Hong Kong Stock Exchange debut on Tuesday, after previous plans for initial public offerings in New York and London were derailed.
The online retailer moved its headquarters to Singapore between 2021 and 2022, which analysts say was intended to avoid increasing global scrutiny of Chinese firms.
