US blacklist of counterfeit peddlers could trigger trade row with China

© Ian Law

Alibaba has hit back at the US, which has blacklisted its Taobao e-commerce sites on its list of markets selling counterfeit goods. The Chinese conglomerate argued that it took down 98% of counterfeit products before any sales were made and that the US list, therefore, was “deeply flawed, biased and politicised”, raising fears of a trade skirmish with China. However, the US Trade Representative list notes that, in 2017, “more SMEs requested assistance from US government agencies and embassies regarding Taobao.com than any other e-commerce platform”. It “commended Alibaba for its efforts to date”, but said “important unresolved concerns remain”. The majority of online sites reported were for TV streaming, while several physical markets around the world were also named. Alibaba subsidiary SCMP has the story.