深圳，中国 —— 周围是低价格药盒、烧烤烤架以及其他商品，尹新伟有时每日能卖出接近 1,400 美元的商品给美国在线消费者。然而，在针对在中国销售 Temu 和 Shein 平台而制定的新规下，他的这项业务及其受美国客户喜爱的低价模式现在正面临变数。
世界头号经济体中美之间贸易紧张局势不断升级，这一举措对严重依赖海外市场的中国卖家尹新伟来说可能产生重大影响。“商业模式有可能消失。”他说。这两家平台最近几年依靠一条特殊的免税政策获得了爆炸性增长，该政策允许价值不超过800美元的商品几乎以零关税且受严格监管的低额度进入美国。
每年数亿个大部分来自中国的商品包裹直接寄给渴望从服装、电子产品等产品中享受到超低价折扣的美国消费者。本月，白宫宣布计划缩小“小项排除”这一豁免条款，旨在防止滥用并加强对美消费者及工人的保护。此举可能会导致为 Temu 和 Shein 等平台提供商品的中国卖家面临痛苦的日子，并使美国消费者的物价上涨。
中国官方媒体批评这一提议是保护主义行为，并认为它会伤害美国消费者。“没有这个豁免，成本将会更高。”尹新伟说，“产品定价可能需要在Temu接近亚马逊。”
从2015年门槛上调至800美元以来，美国-西方律师事务所Dorsey & Whitney的合伙人、国际贸易专家大卫·汤森指出使用“小项排除”政策的数量大幅激增。“这个豁免设计旨在避免对低价值进口零售商品施加某些关税，并减轻零售商和进口至美国零售产品的消费者的相关行政负担。”他在邮件中表示。
Shein（中国2012年创立，后总部位于新加坡的快时尚零售商）与Temu（于2022年由中国的全球电子商务集团拼多多控股的公司创建于波士顿）得益于这一漏洞迅速发展。这两大平台的成功对亚马逊等美国企业形成了压力，并促使后者考虑在网站上开设新的折扣区以更好地竞争。
白宫表示，去年有超过十亿个包裹利用“小项排除”政策进入美国，而十年前仅为1.4亿个。根据美国海关与边境保护局的数据，在2018年至2021年间，约60%至80%的小额关税豁免运输来自中国和香港。
免税豁免使用量的激增已成为美中两国之间最大经济体关系中的另一个关键点。“尤其是‘小项排除’允许合法避免特定的美国关税和税款，包括特朗普总统在任时针对中国的301条款下实施并在拜登总统任期继续保留的关税。”汤森说。这也对防止假货、不符合健康安全要求的商品、使用强迫劳动制造的产品或含非法合成毒品如芬太尼的产品等进口商品构成挑战。
对中国供应商来说，在新冠疫情导致经济三年隔离后国内需求萎靡，美国新规则可能会带来动荡。Temu和Shein作为许多面临严重产能过剩问题的中国行业的“生命线”服务于很多中国工厂。尹曾向中国消费者销售商品，但已放弃国内市场转而专注于海外业务。“过去，如果有人想销往其他国家，进入壁垒非常高。”他说道，“他们必须理解英语、了解物流知识，并知道如何与海外仓储公司联系。”
中国电商平台的卖家数量激增产生了激烈的竞争压力，“导致了最低价格”的出现。在亚马逊销售派对装饰品和其他商品的卖家杰基·卢（Jacky Lu）表示，虽然每个商品的价格计算有所不同，“基本上来说，在Temu上的售价可能是Amazon的70%”。
两大平台均强调自身成长不依赖美国免税豁免政策。“正在审核新的规则提议并致力于为消费者提供价值。”Temu发言人通过电子邮件指出。Shein在声明中提到成功“基于独特的按需商业模式”，期待与所有利益相关者合作，就贸易改革创造一个公平透明的平台，其中规则均等公正地应用。
面对可能取消免税政策的情况，尹新伟认为平台正“逐渐退出处理物流事务”并推动中国卖家承担更多职责。“眼下这是唯一可行的方式。”他说。产品被批量运输至美国仓库，然后从那里分发出去。他指出：“这是平台目前能够做到的。”
Eunice Yoon在深圳报道，Jennifer Jett在香港报道。
新闻来源：www.nbcnews.com
原文地址：The U.S. is cracking down on cheap Chinese goods loved by American shoppers
新闻日期：2024-09-24
原文摘要：
SHENZHEN, China — Chinese vendor Yin Xinwei sometimes makes close to $1,400 a day selling low-priced pill boxes, barbecue spits and other items to U.S. online consumers. The future of that business, and the bargain prices enjoyed by his American customers, is now in question amid a looming U.S. regulatory change aimed largely at two Chinese e-commerce platforms he sells on, Temu and Shein. The change, which comes amid rising trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, is likely to have major consequences for already burdened Chinese sellers such as Yin who rely heavily on overseas markets. “The business model could disappear,” he said in a recent interview at his office in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Both platforms have experienced explosive growth in recent years thanks to a customs exemption that allows packages whose contents are worth less than $800 to enter the United States almost tax-free and with minimal scrutiny. Each year hundreds of millions of packages, mostly from Chinese platforms, are sent directly to American consumers eager to take advantage of rock-bottom prices on clothing, electronics and other products. But this month, the White House said it planned to narrow the loophole, known as the “de minimis” exclusion, to prevent abuse and strengthen protections for American consumers and workers. That could mean painful times ahead for the Chinese sellers that supply the platforms — and higher prices for American consumers. Chinese state media has criticized the proposal as protectionist and say it will hurt American consumers. “Without the exemption, the costs will be higher,” Yin said. “Products might have to be priced for Temu closer to Amazon.” Use of the de minimis exemption has skyrocketed since the threshold was increased to $800 in 2015, said David Townsend, a partner at the U.S.-based law firm Dorsey & Whitney and an expert in international trade. “The exemption was designed to avoid imposition of certain tariffs on low-value imports of retail goods, and to reduce the administrative burdens on retailers and consumers of retail products imported into the United States,” he said in an email. That loophole has been a boon for Shein, a retailer known for fast fashion that was founded in China in 2012 but is now based in Singapore, and Temu, which was founded in Boston in 2022 but is owned by Chinese global commerce group PDD Holdings. The success of the two Chinese platforms has put pressure on American companies such as Amazon, which has considered launching a new discount section on its site in order to better compete with them. According to the White House, more than a billion packages entered the U.S. under the de minimis provision last year, compared with 140 million 10 years ago. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data show that from 2018 to 2021, between about 60% and 80% of de minimis shipments came from China and Hong Kong. The increased use of the exemption has become yet another flashpoint in relations between the U.S. and China, the world’s two biggest economies. “In particular, the de minimis exemption allows lawful avoidance of certain U.S. tariffs and duties, including the China-specific tariffs imposed under Section 301 by President Trump (and maintained by President Biden),” Townsend said. It also presents challenges for U.S. customs officials trying to prevent the import of counterfeit merchandise, goods that fail to meet health and safety requirements, goods made with forced labor or illicit synthetic drugs such as fentanyl. The White House proposal could be disruptive for Chinese suppliers that already face sagging demand at home as the Chinese economy struggles to recover from three years of pandemic isolation. Companies such as Temu and Shein serve as a lifeline for many Chinese factories in the face of what U.S. officials say are severe overcapacity issues in some Chinese industries. Yin used to sell to Chinese consumers but has given up his domestic business to focus entirely on the overseas market. He estimated that about 40% of his Temu orders went to the U.S., 40% to Europe and the other 20% elsewhere. He said Temu had opened the door to overseas e-commerce for him and a “huge number” of other Chinese sellers by taking care of everything once their items arrive at a company warehouse in China. “In the old days, if someone wanted to sell to other countries, the barrier to entry was high,” Yin said. “They must understand English, have knowledge about logistics, know how to connect with overseas storage companies.” The sheer number of sellers on the Chinese platforms has created fierce competition, Yin said, “which has resulted in the lowest prices.” Fellow seller Jacky Lu, whose party decorations and other goods are sold on Amazon, Temu and Shein, said that while the calculation varies for each item, “very generally speaking, the price on Temu might be 70% of that on Amazon.” With Amazon, “I also need to pay for logistics, advertising, operations and storage,” he said, which affects how he sets his prices. Both Temu and Shein say their growth doesn’t depend on the U.S. exclusion. “We are reviewing the new rule proposals and remain committed to delivering value to consumers,” a Temu spokesperson said in an email. Shein said in a statement that its success was “anchored in our unique on-demand business model,” adding that it looked forward to working with all stakeholders on trade reforms “to create a level, transparent playing field — where the rules are applied evenly and equally.” With the de minimis exemption at risk, Yin said, the platforms appear to be “gradually retreating from handling the logistics” and pushing Chinese sellers to do more of that on their own. Yin said he had already started shipping his products in bulk to U.S. warehouses and distributing them from there. “Right now, it’s the only way the platforms can make it,” he said. Eunice Yoon reported from Shenzhen, China, and Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong.
