March 23 (Reuters) – Chinese online shopping site AliExpress said on Monday it was improving controls to comply with European Union regulations as European lawmakers grilled executives over sales of dangerous and counterfeit products in the bloc.
The EU has ramped up scrutiny of fast-growing online platforms like AliExpress, Temu, and Shein which ship cheap products made in China into the bloc duty-free thanks to a waiver on low-value ecommerce parcels. Last month the EU opened a formal investigation into Shein under the Digital Services Act, its landmark regulation covering major platforms.
Alibaba-owned AliExpress, the company’s platform selling in more than 200 countries, has been under investigation by the European Commission since March 2024 and in June agreed to legally binding commitments to improve its controls.
But in November, Reuters found childlike sex dolls for sale on AliExpress, leading the platform to say it had banned the China-based seller of the products.
AliExpress has committed to limiting visibility by default for products intended for adults, Eric Pelletier, Alibaba’s head of international government affairs, told lawmakers.
“At the same time we recognise we have much more work to do,” Pelletier said. “We are actively engaging with the Commission to address the outstanding issues, including preventing the reappearance of illegal listings, strengthening penalties and accelerating the closure of noncompliant sellers.”
Christel Schaldemose, an EU lawmaker and lead rapporteur on the DSA, said: “I will not be happy and I don’t believe in your systems until the day I see it has an impact.”
“My main concern is of course safety, but I also think that it is an unfair competition towards the companies who are complying with the rules we have in EU,” said Schaldemose.
The number of low-value ecommerce parcels entering the EU jumped 26% last year, hitting 5.8 billion. The bloc plans to implement fees on the shipments in an effort to make competition with domestic retailers more fair.
(Reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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