China urges France to immediately halt the implementation of its controversial anti-ultra-fast-fashion law in handling issues of trade with China, a Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The law, which took effect on Tuesday, imposes fees on certain items that may eventually reach almost 20 euros per garment.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Huang Ling, the spokeswoman, said the measure is suspected of violating the World Trade Organization's non-discrimination principles, and that China strongly opposes it.
"China has noticed that the French government has begun implementing so-called punitive fees under the anti-ultra-fast-fashion law. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to France's insistence on pushing forward this clearly discriminatory trade restriction measure. China has previously made its position clear: this law, under the pretext of setting so-called environmental and sustainability standards, adopts double standards and risks violating the WTO principle of non-discrimination," Huang said.
"Despite China's representations, France has pressed ahead with the measure, causing significant operational losses to Chinese-funded enterprises. This not only infringes on their legitimate rights and interests but also harms the interests of French consumers," she said.
"China urges France to immediately halt the implementation of the anti-ultra-fast-fashion law and properly resolve differences in sustainable textile trade through equal dialogue, so as to create a fair and non-discriminatory market environment for Chinese enterprises. If France insists on going its own way, China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the relevant Chinese-funded enterprises, and all consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the French side," said the spokeswoman.
China urges France to immediately halt implementation of controversial law in trade with China
