This Is What Fairer Trade with China Looks Like
Workers sew garments at a textile factory that supplies clothes to e-commerce company Shein in Guangzhou, China, June 11, 2024. (Jade Gao via Getty Images)
Why should Gap and H&M pay higher tariffs than Temu and Shein?
It’s hard to miss ads for Shein, Temu, and Wish if you spend any time on the subway or watching live sports on TV. These days you can’t even scroll through your TikTok and Instagram feeds without being served ads from these lowbrow Chinese e-commerce sites touting everything from $2 Apple AirPods knockoffs to shower curtains featuring a smiling Nicolas Cage side by side with Harambe. There’s an entire genre of influencers whose content revolves solely around “haul culture,” as they rip open piles of new clothes from plastic Shein bags and unbox an endless variety of plastic widgets from Temu’s bright orange packaging.
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