A Polish trade group claims Chinese platforms exploit loopholes, harming EU competition and threatening local businesses, according to S&P Global.
A Polish digital trade group has accused Chinese online platforms of exploiting regulatory loopholes to distort competition across the European Union, reports London's S&P Global.
The Chamber of Digital Economy, working with KPMG, stated that non-EU sellers are scaling rapidly by avoiding customs and regulatory enforcement that European businesses cannot replicate. President Patrycja Sass-Staniszewska emphasized that Polish firms compete on price and service but cannot match business models built on loopholes.
The report estimated that Chinese platforms account for 6 to 11 percent of Poland's US$42 billion e-commerce market, with strong growth observed in electronics and household goods. It warned that sustained price dumping could hollow out domestic production and investment capacity, threatening businesses across Europe.
The European Commission plans to remove the EUR150 (US$177) duty-free exemption for low-value goods starting in July 2026, applying a temporary EUR3 import duty per item. A full reform is scheduled for 2028. In 2024, 4.6 billion parcels under EUR150 crossed EU borders, double the previous year.
Regulatory clampdowns have already impacted air freight. The US removed its de minimis exemption last year, sharply reducing trans-Pacific e-commerce flows. France suspended Shein's online platform in November and increased customs inspections.
Data from Xeneta indicated that China-US e-commerce exports fell by 28 percent in 2025, while China-Europe growth slowed to eight percent in December. Excluding Russia, volumes to Europe dropped by 23 percent for the year. Xeneta's Niall van de Wouw noted that the slowdown is now a trend, with e-commerce accounting for up to 25 percent of global air cargo volumes.
