Today, a bit of dark humor from Washington's political circles.
There's a high-level closed-door conference called The Hill & Valley Forum—the name itself signals its weight. 'Hill' means Capitol Hill, 'Valley' means Silicon Valley. Since inception, the forum has pursued one mission: unite against China. It's a salon where Silicon Valley tech billionaires and Washington politicians build their anti-China alliance.
But at the latest gathering, the script flipped. What should have been a unified push to contain China became a grievance session about America's own failures. The star: Trae Stephens, co-founder of defense startup Anduril. This man built his profile hyping the China threat, then took the stage and turned his fire inward, tearing into America.
Immigration, Healthcare, Education: Forty Years in Congress, Nothing Accomplished?
Trae Stephens opened by listing America's legislative failures across a generation: Seventy to eighty percent of Americans back comprehensive immigration reform, yet Congress hasn't passed meaningful legislation in 40 years. On healthcare, his frustration sharpened: American spending doubles that of other democracies, yet delivers worse outcomes. Education hit harder still—American achievement has fallen out of the global top ten, trailing competitors sharply in math and science.
The audience in the room, hoping to hear strategies for crushing Chinese tech, must have left puzzled.
Trillion-Dollar Bill, Only Getting Subpar Charging Stations in Return?
As a staunch Trump supporter, Trae Stephens' criticism of infrastructure spending is particularly sharp. He complained that recent chip and green energy legislation allocated over a trillion dollars, resulting only in "a handful of subpar electric vehicle charging stations, without even a single fully completed chip wafer fab."
His most classic quip came next: " We haven't even sent a man to the moon in my lifetime." A devastating remark, essentially negating America's technological mobilization capacity over the past few decades. Whatever happened to "Make America Great Again"?
Legislators Have Only a "Hammer" in Hand, Seeing Everything as a "Nail"
Trae Stephens attributes all these problems to rigid legislative systems unable to keep pace with technological change. He cited examples: Facebook users surpassed 2 billion before the first platform regulation measures finally arrived; drones became weapons of war while domestic regulatory laws remained incomplete; cryptocurrency trading volumes reached trillions of dollars while the government still hadn't clarified its nature. In his view, American legislators facing technological revolution resort only to slow, procedural, and politically theatrical old tactics like "investigations" and " bully pulpit". " If all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." This remark is a brilliant satire of Washington's decision-making apparatus.
Silicon Valley's "Faux‑Innocent," Damaging National Security?
Trae Stephens was equally direct with his Silicon Valley peers. He criticized the Valley's long-standing reluctance to work with the Pentagon, viewing this so-called "moral neutrality" as damaging national security and actually "helping China become stronger, richer and more capable."
He then singled out Google employees' 2018 collective protest against the Defense Department's AI project—the "Maven Project"—calling it tantamount to aiding the enemy. The logic strains credulity: when your own people refuse to help the military, how does China end up holding the blame?
An anti-China conference becoming an "American problems diagnostic room"
Listening to the entire speech, absurdity hangs thick in the air. A forum ostensibly tasked with "containing China" saw its keynote speaker spend most of his time lamenting America's domestic failures, institutional dysfunction, and technological lag. The "China threat" he painted became instead a mirror reflecting America's own incompetence.
It's like a group of hunters gathering to discuss how to put down a ferocious tiger, only to have the lead hunter start wailing about his rusty rifle, expired ammunition, quarreling teammates, and an unreadable map. Finally he sighed "I doubt we'll bag that tiger in my lifetime." The other hunters exchange bewildered glances: what are we even doing here?
Trae Stephens' tirade, rather than serving as a warning about China's challenge, reads more like a "desperate diagnosis" of America's declining leadership. It inadvertently reveals a hard truth: when some American elites rack their brains trying to deal with China, they dejectedly discover that the greatest obstacle often comes not from the adversary, but from the rust and internal friction of their own system. What was meant to be a display of unity and resolve at this anti-China conference ultimately became an awkward "reflect session"—a rare spectacle in international politics.
America's "greatness", it seems, exists only in some rhetorics it uses to criticize others.
Beacon Institute
** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **
France's National Assembly has passed the "Anti-Ultra-Fast-Fashion Law." The legislation aims to curb the flood of low-cost clothing into the French market. In practice, it primarily targets Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Shein, Temu (Pinduoduo's cross-border e-commerce brand) and AliExpress.
France's new law targets Chinese low-cost clothing platforms like Shein.
However, European homegrown fast-fashion giants like Zara and H&M are exempted.
China's Ministry of Commerce has lodged a formal protest, saying the law violates the World Trade Organization's non-discrimination principle and constitutes a trade barrier. Beijing has warned it will retaliate if necessary.
Commerce Ministry blasts discriminatory curbs, vows countermeasures if Chinese firms' rights are violated.
Under the law, a fine of between €0.25 and €6 will be imposed on each qualifying item starting in 2026. That fine rises to as much as €10 per item by 2030. France's National Assembly additionally passed a government amendment that toughened the penalties further. The amendment raises the maximum per-item fine in 2030 to €20, while capping total fines at 50 percent of a product's pre-tax price.
Separately, the European Union formally scrapped the customs exemption for parcels valued under €150 starting July 1. It now imposes a flat €3 duty on every low-value parcel shipped directly from outside the bloc. Together, these two policies have created unprecedented barriers for Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms entering overseas markets.
A Ministry of Commerce spokesperson criticized France for adopting discriminatory restrictions. The spokesperson said the legislation seriously distorts fair competition, and China views the matter with grave concern.
The law is framed under the guise of "environmental" and "sustainability" standards, but in effect it is an exclusionary measure that may breach WTO non-discrimination rules. It already constitutes a trade barrier against China, a stark departure from the fair competition and free trade principles France claims to champion.
This, the spokesperson added, would harm not only the legitimate rights of Chinese companies but also French consumers' own interests.
China has urged France to immediately correct its discriminatory practices. Beijing says it will closely monitor how the implementing rules are drafted and enforced. It will take necessary countermeasures should the legitimate rights of Chinese firms be infringed.
Three Thresholds, One Clear Target
The law sets out three thresholds for products. Platforms fall under strict regulation if they launch more than 15,000 new styles a year on the EU market, sell items averaging below €5, or offer products with an expected lifespan of fewer than 30 washes. Meeting any single criterion is enough to trigger the rules. Critics say this framework appears "tailor-made" for Shein, Temu and AliExpress.
France's law looks "tailor-made" to target platforms like Temu, critics say.
France's Minister for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Commerce, Serge Papin, said bluntly that the law targets the fast-fashion industry's major players. He explicitly named Shein, Temu and AliExpress, singling out their business model based on stockpiling and constant turnover.
According to China News Weekly, Shein, Temu and other Chinese cross-border platforms have reshaped France's fashion market since entering the country. They have done so by riding on rock-bottom prices and a relentless pace of new arrivals. Public data show these platforms now account for 6 percent of total apparel purchases in France. Shein ranks among the country's top five clothing brands by sales.
In terms of consumer behavior, ultra-fast fashion and second-hand resale together make up a quarter of the French apparel market. Some 38 percent of French consumers have tried a Chinese cross-border platform. That figure rises to 56 percent among women aged 16 to 24.
Liu Beibei is head of overseas business at Dongguan Tongfa Knitting, a long-time contract manufacturer for European clothing brands specializing in mid-to-high-end garments. She said overseas clients have asked her why other companies' wool products are sold so cheaply after spotting the low prices on fast-fashion platforms.
Liu admits the cross-border platforms have dealt a heavy blow to Europe's fashion industry.
Using wool products as an example, she notes that the source of the wool, farming methods and spinning techniques all affect final costs. A 100 percent wool sweater can sell for as little as €40 or as much as €200, but there is a big difference in craftsmanship and quality. "There's a lot beneath the surface," she says. She believes younger consumers' preferences are shifting toward platforms offering faster new arrivals and lower prices.
A "Tiered Eco-Fine" at the Core
Reports indicate the scheme's core mechanism is a "tiered eco-fine." In 2026, fines of €0.25 to €12 will apply per item. That maximum rises to €20 per item by 2030, capped at half the product's price. This means a dress selling for €5 could face a fine of up to €2.50. On top of the EU's flat €3 duty per parcel, this would push up costs for consumers substantially.
Media calculations suggest a T-shirt selling for €10 online costs €3.50 to manufacture. Add €2 for air freight, €1.50 in import VAT, €2.50 for last-mile delivery and €1 in platform commission. That leaves only €0.50 in profit before the new €3 duty, which would push the platform into an outright loss.
Analysts warn other European nations may follow suit against platforms like AliExpress.
Kang Di is a lawyer at Beijing Ceehin (Shenzhen) Law Firm specializing in cross-border compliance and international trade rules. She said the law poses a substantive and far-reaching impact on platforms like Shein and Temu.
Kang noted the law introduces a "tiered eco-fine" mechanism, an EPR Bonus-Malus system, that directly squeezes the price advantage and profit margins of platforms selling low-priced items. This exposes companies to clear compliance red lines.
She added that the law also cuts off the social media influencer marketing channels these platforms rely on heavily. Non-compliant influencers face administrative fines of up to €100,000.
There’s a deeper political logic behind France's tough unilateral legislation in the fast-fashion sector, according to Kang. It is well rooted in a structural crisis facing its domestic retail sector.
Homegrown brands carrying the collective memory of France's middle class, such as Camaïeu and Naf Naf, have gone bankrupt or entered judicial restructuring one after another. France's traditional retail sector largely blames external competitive pressure for these struggles. It points to the tax exemption once enjoyed by Chinese cross-border platforms on small parcels, and to China's supply-chain flexibility.
Kang suggests the law is largely a defensive response to global supply-chain restructuring, one that objectively erects a trade barrier to protect the domestic textile industry.
Zara and H&M Left Untouched
European fast-fashion giants Zara, H&M and Primark are all exempt from the law. France's commerce minister openly stated, "We are here to protect French retailers." A French Senate rapporteur reportedly confirmed the government had already run simulations before the standards were finalized, showing only Chinese platforms would fall under the regulatory net.
According to China News Weekly, citing Song Liwei, a senior consultant at Shanghai Sanwei Law Firm, France's strained textile-recycling system and above-average carbon emissions from its textile sector are shared environmental problems across Europe.
The law traces its legislative roots to France's Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law and its Climate Change Response and Resilience Law. Environmental NGOs, circular-economy associations and the garment-repair industry all lobbied throughout the process. Curbing single-use consumption and promoting circular fashion were the law's publicly stated goals.
The text itself names no specific country, platform or region, avoiding direct discrimination on paper.
However, Song also noted the rules effectively target Chinese cross-border direct-mail platforms, while European homegrown fast-fashion brands escape regulation. This has prompted even voices within the French parliament to criticize the law as "hijacked by lobbying from the domestic fashion industry, deliberately exempting Europe's own giants."
Fears of a Europe-Wide Domino Effect
Beyond French regulation, Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms also face spillover regulatory pressure across Europe. The EU's Environment Council has begun coordinating related action. The Netherlands is raising its clothing recycling targets, while Germany is launching legislation for textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
Song warned this could trigger a chain reaction of other EU member states following France's lead. That would eventually form a unified regulatory framework across the entire EU, one that would fundamentally rewrite the underlying logic of how Chinese fast-fashion brands expand overseas.
