China on Wednesday expressed serious concern regarding France's newly passed "anti-fast fashion" law, which imposes discriminatory restrictions on Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms, warning it will take necessary countermeasures if the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises are harmed.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) made the remarks when asked to comment on the French legislation which specifically targets Chinese fast fashion retailers including Shein, Temu, and AliExpress.
The spokesperson noted that under the guise of environmental and sustainability standards, the law adopts exclusive measures that are suspected of violating the WTO non-discrimination principles, erects trade barriers against China, and contradicts the fair competition and free trade principles France claims to uphold.
The law will not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises but also hurt the interests of French consumers, the spokesperson added.
China urges France to abide by WTO rules, immediately correct its discriminatory practices, and provide Chinese companies with a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory business environment.
The spokesperson also stressed that China will closely monitor the formulation and implementation of the law’s detailed rules and will adopt necessary countermeasures if the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises are undermined.
China criticizes France's discriminatory law targeting Shein, Temu, AliExpress
China has stepped up financial and material support for disaster response as the country faces an unusually extreme weather season, with the central government allocating billions in relief funds and emergency supplies, a finance official said on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Finance is strengthening financial, personnel and material resources to support disaster prevention and response, said Xing Chaohong, deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources and Ecological Environment at the Ministry of Finance, at a press conference in Beijing.
"In 2026, the central government has reserved 20 billion yuan in natural disaster relief funds. Since the start of this year's flood season, the central government has activated the rapid fund allocation mechanism eight times, disbursing a total of 1.19 billion yuan to disaster-hit areas. In addition, the central government has arranged 14.5 billion yuan through channels including agricultural production disaster prevention and relief funds, water conservancy disaster relief funds, key transport project funds and central budget investment, to support the restoration of damaged water conservancy projects and post-disaster emergency recovery," Xing said.
The ministry is also strengthening the stockpile of emergency supplies for disaster relief, flood control and drought relief, and forest and grassland fire prevention. By mid-July, the value of stored supplies reached 3.418 billion yuan. Since the start of the year, authorities have dispatched 538,400 emergency supplies worth 145 million yuan to affected areas.
As the country enters the critical flood season from late July to early August, the ministry will strengthen coordination with emergency, water conservancy, agriculture, transport and other authorities to ensure that local regions can safely get through the flood season.
China bolsters disaster relief funding as extreme weather intensifies
