Merz contemplates initiating a war against Temu, Shein, and their affiliates.
Friedrich Merz, head of CDU, calls for tougher oversight of massive Chinese online marketplaces like Temu and Shein. He argues that it's not right for European merchants to be scrutinized relentlessly while 200,000 shipments a day from China to Germany go unchecked. Merz also accuses them of skirting customs regulations.
In a letter, Merz criticizes the current situation where European manufacturers are under constant scrutiny, while their supply chains are controlled worldwide, yet affordable goods from Asia are imported in large quantities without proper customs or product inspections.
According to Merz, fair competition requires equal footing for all. Therefore, the regulation of Chinese online platforms has become a pressing political issue.
It's interesting to note that platforms like Temu and Shein are advertising extensively for the European Football Championship and on numerous broadcast channels.
These platforms have been shipping enormous quantities of cheap Chinese goods directly to European consumers, and particularly Germans, without any product or customs inspections, Merz adds. This practice appears to involve widespread falsification of the goods' value.
What's more concerning, Merz points out, is that nobody checks if the goods directly delivered to consumers' doorsteps adhere to European environmental and consumer safety standards. Thus, it's essential that German and European politics address these issues promptly.
Trade policy is the exclusive domain of the European Union. Therefore, a unified approach among some European countries is necessary, working in conjunction with the EU Commission and the current Trade Commissioner of the EU.
