China Warns of Retaliation Over French Crackdown on Fast Fashion

Beijing: China warned on Wednesday of potential retaliation over a French law aimed at curbing the rise of fast fashion, slamming the regulation as "discriminatory" and in violation of trade principles.

The bill, passed by France's parliament late last month and due to impose per-item fees from September 1, targets major Asian e-commerce platforms including Shein, Temu and AliExpress.

The "ultra-fast fashion" companies are known for selling large volumes of lower-quality clothing at rock-bottom prices, also contributing to pollution from the textile industry, a major emitter of greenhouse gas.

An unidentified spokesperson for Beijing's commerce ministry said the law, "under the guise of setting so-called 'environmental protection' and 'sustainability' standards, is in reality implementing exclusionary measures".

The regulation is "suspected of violating the (World Trade Organization)'s non-discrimination principle and constitutes a trade barrier against China", the spokesperson said.

"We urge France to abide by WTO rules (and) immediately correct the discriminatory practices", warning of "necessary measures to retaliate should the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms be infringed upon".

The French penalties starting on September 1 will apply to certain mass-produced textile products and will increase over time.

The new law will also ban advertising for mass-produced, cheap clothing brands, including social media influencers.

French Trade Minister Serge Papin said last month that the three Asian firms were the main players targeted by the bill, which he said were driving the surge in ultra-fast fashion.

But some in France have criticised the legislation for sparing European and French companies, including Zara and Kiabi.

The European Commission has questioned whether the bill's advertising provisions comply with EU law.