France Inflamed, China Asks Shein Retailers To Run Business According To Legal Rules

JAKARTA - The Chinese government asked fashion companies "Shein" to follow the laws in France after the discovery of sex dolls that looked like children in its online "platform".

"The Chinese government asks companies to run their business in accordance with the laws and regulations and fulfill the responsibilities of their companies," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing, Friday, November 7.

On Wednesday (5/11), the French government suspended access to China's "platform" online shopping, Shein, on the French online shopping market until the company could prove its content in accordance with French law.

This was done because Shein offered a sex doll that looked like a child and had the potential to contain pornographic elements.

The announcement was made by the French Ministry of Finance on the same day Shein opened her first permanent shop in a major shopping center in Paris, BHV Marais. The opening of the shop was greeted by a number of crowds.

"We also hope that related parties will comply with market economic principles and provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from all countries," added Mao Ning.

French authorities have the legal authority to order online "platforms" to remove illegal content such as child pornography within 24 hours. If they fail to comply, authorities can request internet service providers and search engines to block access and remove the site from the list.

In response to this, Shein promised to cooperate with the authorities and ban all sex doll products and remove adult product categories for preview.

The company also announced that it would temporarily suspend the list of products from third-party vendors and investigate how sex dolls can qualify for online "platforms".

Shein is a fashion retail company founded in Nanjing, China in 2008 and currently headquartered in Singapore. The company has applications and websites to sell clothing, household appliances, beauty products, and a large proportion of other goods originating from China, especially Guangzhou.

Sales at Shein were driven by massive discounts and a large variety of products, thus being criticized for its "fast fashion" practices and poor employment practices.

Fast fashion is characterized by a constant turnover of collections and very low prices, said to have flooded the European market with low-quality goods, driving environmental, social and economic losses.

Shein has delivered products to more than 150 countries. In 2023, Shein's sales value reached 1.3 billion just in the UK while in 2022, Shein received a valuation of 100 billion US dollars in the funding round.