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Outlets linked to the Chinese government appear to be bristling following an EU decision to fine AliExpress, a retail arm of the Hangzhou-based Alibaba group, with a record fine under the Digital Services Act.
Brussels announced on July 20 that the company would be forced to pay €550 million over its alleged online sale of “counterfeit” and “dangerous” products, with the bloc claiming the company had not done enough to prevent such goods from being listed on its site.
The company appears to be contesting the claims it did not do enough to protect consumers, with news publications owned by the Chinese government insisting that the firm “disputes” Europe’s findings.
“We disagree with the decision and the disproportionate fine,” government outlet China Daily reports the company as saying.
Beijing itself has yet to comment on the fine as of the time of writing, but has once again signaled its current unhappiness with the EU’s approach to international trade.
“Protectionism leads nowhere; win-win cooperation is the right path. China is not the root cause of Europe’s trade and economic problems, but rather a partner that can help Europe resolve them,” spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on July 21.
He went on to insist that the EU’s push to “decouple” from China was to no one’s benefit, and that the country had not sought to cause problems on the continent.
“We have noticed that many European companies have recently pointed out that ‘decoupling and supply chain disruptions’ are not feasible and have called on Europe to strengthen cooperation with China,” he claimed.
The AliExpress fine represents the latest flashpoint in trade tensions between China and the European Union, with Brussels now regularly accusing Beijing of “dumping” products onto the European market at prices below the cost of manufacturing.
China has repeatedly insisted that this has not been its policy, accusing EU officials of engaging in “protectionist” tendencies.
Chinese retail giants, such as Temu and Alibaba, have been at the forefront of recent tensions, with Brussels imposing a blanket €3 import charge on objects bought by consumers that enter the bloc from outside the European Economic Area.
It has also imposed tariffs on some Chinese electric vehicles in an effort to make locally-made vehicles more price-competitive.
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