The U.S. government is deliberating whether to add Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu to the Department of Homeland Security’s forced labor list, as reported by Semafor. This move would prohibit the import of their products into the United States. The Trump administration has not yet reached a final decision and may ultimately choose not to list either company. Both Shein and Temu have denied any involvement in forced labor practices. Shein stated that it fully complies with the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), while Temu emphasized its strict prohibition of involuntary labor in accordance with their Third-Party Code of Conduct. This consideration by the U.S. follows China’s recent imposition of targeted tariffs on U.S. imports and warnings of potential sanctions against companies like Google, in response to U.S. tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump.
In a related development, the European Commission announced that Shein and Temu will be held accountable for the sale of unsafe and dangerous products on their platforms. The EU executive also plans to coordinate a joint investigation by the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network into Shein, based on suspicions of infringing EU consumer protection rules. These measures align with a broader crackdown on the influx of inexpensive e-commerce imports into the European Union.
These actions reflect increasing global scrutiny of Chinese e-commerce giants concerning labor practices and product safety standards.
