Publications: Eli Clemens

Chinese online marketplaces like AliExpress and Temu often list counterfeits of American products while limiting search engine indexing, making it difficult for rights holders to detect infringements. The U.S. Trade Representative should include these platforms on the 2025 Notorious Markets List and consider indexing transparency as a criterion for future listings.

Advanced manufacturers based in East Asia are expanding investment into the U.S. economy. Yet, many of their internal value chains remain anchored in China, giving the PRC significant leverage over U.S. interests. U.S. policymakers should respond both defensively and offensively.

If the USTR is serious about protecting U.S. consumers and businesses from copyright piracy and trademark counterfeiting, it should designate Chinese online platforms Temu, AliExpress, and SHEIN as notorious markets.

China has failed to meet its commitments under the U.S.-China POA. It is not a reliable trade partner, as potential commitments to reverse its predatory practices are antithetical to its long-term techno-economic project.

Certain Chinese companies obscure their ownership and strategic intent in the U.S. economy, gaining access to markets, talent, intellectual property, and subsidies. These practices advance China’s industrial and military goals and necessitate stronger oversight measures.

A productive approach to emerging workplace technologies would focus on two overarching goals: 1) accelerating development, testing, and adoption, and 2) supporting positive uses of the technology while mitigating negative ones.

ITIF recommends that USTR include Temu, AliExpress, and SHEIN on the 2025 Notorious Markets List because all three platforms meet USTR’s criteria as notorious online markets. They facilitate systemic trafficking in counterfeit goods, harming U.S. right holders, undermining fair competition, and placing U.S. consumers at risk.

Chinese e-commerce platforms facilitate sales of counterfeit products, threatening U.S. intellectual property, fair competition, and consumer safety. Policymakers should take action to hold these platforms accountable and protect American consumers and businesses.

The OECD guidelines are a critical step in shaping how global e-commerce operates. But unless they reflect the geopolitical and regulatory asymmetries that define today’s counterfeit trade, they will fall short of their ambition.

State bans on data-driven pricing could backfire by eliminating personalized discounts that help consumers. A better approach is to enforce existing laws, pass federal privacy rules, and clarify what fair pricing looks like.