International

Bipartisan U.S. Lawmakers Propose Bill To Eliminate Tariff Exemption For Chinese E-commerce Shipments

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers plans to introduce a bill aimed at eliminating a widely-used tariff exemption that allows e-commerce sellers to ship orders from China to U.S. shoppers.

The exemption, known as the de minimis rule, currently applies to imports valued at $800 or less when shipped to individual consumers. If the bill is enacted, it would immediately prohibit such shipments from China. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a sponsor of the bill stated.

E-commerce sellers like Shein, a China-founded company based in Singapore, and Temu, a rival owned by PDD Holdings Inc operating the Chinese e-commerce site Pinduoduo, are major beneficiaries of this exemption.

In April, a federal brief stated that these companies “exploit” the de minimis rule to avoid paying duties and import items, including those manufactured in China’s Xinjiang region with forced Uyghur labor.

Recently, a spokesperson from Shein stated that the company does not have any manufacturers in Xinjiang. However, there was no immediate response from Temu when requested for comment.

The issue of de minimis shipments has been a matter of concern since at least 2019 when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported difficulties in identifying unsafe imports due to the high volume of low-value packages. According to U.S. customs data, the number of such shipments increased to 685.5 million in 2022 from 410.5 million in 2018.

The bill has additional sponsors, namely Republican Senator J.D. Vance and Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin. It remains uncertain how much support the proposal will gather. A separate but similar bill introduced by Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer failed to pass Congress last year.

If the bill is enacted, countries other than China and Russia would be able to maintain the exemption by adopting the $800 threshold for their own tariff-free imports. The bill would also restrict the transportation of de minimis packages to private shippers like FedEx, UPS, and DHL, excluding postal services.

 

Nunnem Gangte

Recent Posts

Punjab & Haryana HC Notice To Jindal Law School Over AI-Generated Exam Claims

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday has issued a notice to Jindal Global…

12 hours ago

ED Files Money Laundering Complaint Against Charanjit Singh Bajaj, 4 Others

The ED on Tuesday has filed a Prosecution Complaint before the Special Court in Mohali…

12 hours ago

Pune Porsche Case: SC Rejects Anticipatory Bail To Father Of Minor Driver’s Friend

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied bail to Arunkumar Devnath Singh, whose son is a…

13 hours ago

SC Dumps Plea Against Quashing LOC For Sushant Singh Rajput’s Ex-House Help

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Centre's appeal against a Bombay High Court order…

14 hours ago

Rape Case: SC Issues Notice On Ex-Army Officer’s Plea For Quashing Charge sheet

The Supreme Court on Tuesday has agreed to review a plea from retired Army Captain…

14 hours ago

Chhattisgarh NAN Scam: FIR Against 2 Retired IAS Officers, Former AG

The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday has registered a case against 2 retired IAS officers…

15 hours ago