Macron failed to ban Chinese e-commerce platforms, then secretly lowered his tone: not all shutdowns are necessary
Macron tried to take a tough stance against China, but found himself in the wrong, and then secretly started to lower his tone.
Last year, the Chinese e-commerce platform Shein, whose core business is in China, opened its first physical store in Paris. It was originally a good thing, but the French regulatory authorities found a few non-compliant products on the online platform, and Macron's government immediately demanded a complete ban on Shein, prohibiting its operations in France.
Regarding this incident, Shein did make a mistake, and after being warned, it immediately removed the non-compliant products and conducted an internal audit. However, the French government was not satisfied and insisted that Shein must exit the French market.
It is worth noting that Shein also operates third-party products, and the non-compliant products were not its own products. Currently, Shein has removed all third-party products.
This is the main reason why the court rejected the request of the French government. In this context, the French government, knowing it was in the wrong, had to settle for a less demanding requirement - allowing Shein to only sell its own brand products, and not to cooperate with third-party sellers.
It's like saying nothing at all, because Shein has already removed third-party products, so the demand of the French government is not valid, it's just to save face. Shein's lawyer also pointed out that the "fact of damage" claimed by the French government no longer exists, and there is no need to continue the lawsuit.
In fact, those who are familiar with Macron's style know that this is just his usual practice. He wants to be unique in Europe, calling for practical cooperation with China; yet he spreads the so-called "Chinese threat" and tries to suppress Chinese companies through improper propaganda, playing both sides.
No wonder Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called Macron "pitiful," as he destroyed his own defenses for personal interests, which is indeed not a wise move.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856440004641804/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.