Italy plans a new tax on Chinese fast fashion imports, targeting online retailers like Shein and Temu, to protect its domestic fashion industry from low-cost competition.
Italy is planning to introduce an additional tax on Chinese fast fashion imports to protect its domestic fashion industry from low-cost competition, according to government sources.
“We will present a measure to tackle the ultra-fast fashion phenomenon: an invasion of low-cost foreign products that damage our producers and put consumers at risk,” Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said to fashion industry representatives in Rome.
The measure is expected to target online retailers like Shein and Temu, aiming to address what officials describe as “unfair competition” in one of Italy’s most vital sectors.
European governments are increasingly concerned about China’s strategy of redirecting low-cost goods to EU markets, a move seen as compensating for reduced trade with the US due to tariffs introduced under former President Donald Trump.
Earlier, Trump signed an executive order on 11 August 2025, extending the tariff truce between the US and China for an additional 90 days, which is set to expire in mid-November. The decision suspends a planned tariff increase, keeping duties at 30% on Chinese imports and 10% on US goods.
