cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33547213
In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, Eric Lombard, the French Minister of Economy discussed the rising influx of Chinese low-cost products into France amid Donald Trump’s customs measures. The minister plans to announce new actions within the next ten days.
Is France on the verge of being flooded with Chinese products from Temu and Shein, e-commerce platforms known for their unbeatable prices? This concern looms large in France, especially within the retail sector, following Donald Trump’s announcement of a staggering 145% customs duty on Chinese goods. As a result, China might look towards flooding the European market, particularly France, with these small packages. When asked about this in an interview with La Tribune Dimanche on April 20, Economy Minister Eric Lombard expressed his determination not to stand idly by.
“We must curb this phenomenon,” he firmly stated. For him, the threats posed by these websites are threefold: social, health, and environmental. He elaborated, “These shipments directly compete with our businesses and merchants. Some products do not meet European standards, and the people manufacturing them work under conditions that are not aligned with our values. It’s also an environmental absurdity.”
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The minister also highlighted some staggering statistics: “The volume of goods is enormous: 400 million items were shipped last year. Nearly 800 million are projected this year. […] Just to the European market, that’s 600 jumbo jets taking off each night from China!”
[Edit typo.]