BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday expressed grave concerns over France's newly introduced anti-ultra-fast-fashion law, saying that it imposed discriminatory restrictions against Chinese-invested cross-border e-commerce platforms and severely distorted fair competition through legislation.
A spokesperson for the ministry made the remarks when asked to comment on French officials explicitly identifying cross-border e-commerce platforms, including Shein, Temu and AliExpress, as the primary targets of the legislation.
The law, under the pretext of setting so-called environmental and sustainability standards, has in effect introduced exclusionary measures, which are suspected of violating the World Trade Organization's (WTO) principle of non-discrimination, the spokesperson said in a statement.
The law has constituted a trade barrier against China and seriously deviated from the principles of fair competition and free trade that France has publicly advocated, the spokesperson said, adding that it will not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, but also hurt the interests of French consumers.
China urges the French side to abide by WTO rules, immediately correct these discriminatory practices, and provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese-invested enterprises, the spokesperson said.
China will closely monitor the formulation and implementation of relevant rules, and will take necessary measures to respond should the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises be infringed upon, the spokesperson said. ■
