Washington, Feb 3 (EFE) .- Tariffs imposed during the weekend by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, Mexico, China and Canada also affect a commercial exemption that has led to the vertiginous growth of Chinese retailers such as Shein, Temu or Aliexpress, local media reported on Monday.
That exemption, known as “minimis”, allowed exporters to send packages valued at less than $ 800 to the United States without paying tariffs.
Although the exemption was almost a century of validity, it had been the subject of scrutiny in recent years by the explosion of Chinese electronic commerce of companies such as Shein, Temu or Aliexpress, belonging to the giant Alibaba.
In 2024 the United States processed more than 1.3 billion shipments of “minimis”, according to official data of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) a vertiginous growth since the 139 million processed just a decade earlier, in 2015.
These shipments are also subject to more lax inspections, so it is believed that they have been used for fentanyl or chemical shipments to manufacture it.
Chinese retailers have carried out mass digital marketing campaigns in the United States offering to offer a wide cheap clothing inventory, household items and electronic products.
In addition, the applications of these minorites have been among the most downloaded in the United States.
These companies entered into direct competition with Amazon, eBay or Etsy, which could now be benefited by the elimination of commercial exemption.
In addition to his protectionist struggle, in recent months Trump has reaped a close relationship with the great American technological magnates, such as the owner of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, who was invited to his inauguration. EFE
