China has claimed the new "anti fast-fashion" law introduced by France amounts to "discrimination." Speaking to Euronews, an internal source from a department tied to France's Ministry of Foreign Minister Affairs said the claims were false.
China claimed on Thursday that the new "anti fast-fashion" law introduced by France on Tuesday, amounts to a form of "discrimination." But speaking to Euronews, an internal source from a department tied to France's Ministry of Foreign Minister Affairs said the claims were false.
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A source inside the French Foreign Trade and Attractiveness office, linked to France's Ministry of Foreign Minister Affairs, told Euronews that the new law is "not discriminatory", but that it was introduced to "protect the environment and consumers."
"It is in everyone's interest, including China's, to have a calm relationship with France, with the European Union, and a civil trade relationship", the source said.
At a press conference on Thursday, Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson Huang Ling called for the suspension of the new French law known as the "anti-fast-fashion" law, which was voted in July.
Ling accused France of instrumentalising arguments around environmental and sustainability to instead introduce a two-tier system, which she said could breach of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) anti-discrimination rules.
"If France persists, China will take the necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies", the spokeswoman said, adding that "France will bear all the consequences that ensue_._"
"No discrimination"
According to the source from the French Foreign Trade and Attractiveness office, even though "there is no discrimination", China is within its rights to submit technical comments to the WTO.
"The fact that China feels targeted is indeed something we have heard. We are of course ready to talk to them to understand to what extent they feel targeted [...] If China has technical comments, it is perfectly entitled to submit them to the WTO", she said.
"Our Parliament is sovereign and has had its say. It has passed this law and we will fully respect its decision. This kind of threat, this challenge to a state's sovereign position, is coercion, economic retaliation. But for now, it remains a threat", the official added.
The European Commission has previously expressed reservations about whether the draft "anti-fast-fashion" law is compatible with EU law, particularly in relation to its provisions which clamp down on advertising from fast-fashion companies.
However, according to the source, the law is robust. "We have taken the time to respond to the European Commission's concerns, to questions about compatibility with various directives. Questions remain, but we are confident", the French official said. "From our point of view, there are no outstanding issues".
For now, China has not said what retaliatory measures it could take.
Beijing has already targeted French interests in the past, imposing anti-dumping measures on European brandy in 2024, after the European Union decided to impose duties on Chinese electric vehicles.
French cognac producers were among the business actors who found themselves at the heart of a customs stand-off between the European Union and China.
What does the law say?
The law defines ultra-fast fashion through two criteria: the number of new products launched by a company and whether or not customers are encouraged to repair their items rather than replace them.
The scheme aims to reduce the fashion sector's environmental footprint, but also to shield France's ready-to-wear industry from the influx of low-cost products.
The charge per item will vary according to a predefined scale, based on the score each product receives on these two criteria.
The levy will be paid by producers and directly by consumers, although companies will be able to pass on the full cost by raising prices.
Known for its competitive prices and constantly renewed range, Shein had a mixed debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Tuesday. Its listing comes as its plans to go public in New York and London have been delayed amid numerous questions over its supply chains in China.
