Tariffs must be part of the toolkit to manage the influx of products from Chinese tech companies, whether from e-commerce platforms like Temu or from a growing number of low-cost microchip manufacturers set to flood the global market with semiconductors.
By leaving out bills that would prevent Chinese companies from accessing Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, restrict U.S. capital from flowing into China, and close the de minimis loophole, the House is missing a critical opportunity for meaningful action.
The de minimis catastrophe is getting attention on Capitol Hill, thanks to legislative champions on both sides of the aisle in Congress, and the advocacy of the The Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole (of which CPA is a member).
There is a strong and growing bipartisan consensus that the de minimis loophole has created rampant lawlessness and is facilitating the import of high-risk, illegal, and dangerous products—including deadly fentanyl poison that is killing tens of thousands of Americans each year.
The de minimis problem is getting worse. Consider this article a “Summer 2024” update of how the de minimis catastrophe continues to escalate.
The Department of Justice indicted a Chinese national who was living in the United States and importing thousands of kilograms of precursor chemicals used in making the addictive, powerful synthetic opioid known as fentanyl.
The de minimis customs provision that allows for goods priced under $800 to come into the U.S. duty free is full of risks, and an open door for “controlled substances and all sorts of contraband,” Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Tuesday.
While we appreciate Secretary Mayorkas’s acknowledgement that the de minimis loophole is a serious risk and undermines the U.S. government’s efforts to enforce the UFLPA, we have yet to see substantive action from the Biden administration to close this dangerous loophole.
The laws have not changed to make duty-free de minimis shipping any more difficult, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is starting to get proactive.
Shein’s troubling record of misrepresentations, human rights abuses, and several other concerns should properly exclude the company from being listed on any U.S. exchanges.
