PARIS - Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration will not eject fast-fashion juggernaut Shein from the US market, its executive chairman Donald Tang has told AFP.
The head of the online platform, which has come in for scrutiny over its environmental footprint and allegations of human rights violations, also insisted that the company does not use forced labour.
"We're not focusing on customs policy," Tang said about the new US import levies, speaking during a visit to France this week.
"We will find a way to deliver the goods," he added, saying that Shein's "business model" had seen the company through other global trade upsets like the coronavirus pandemic.
This time, however, China is directly in Washington's crosshairs, with 20-percent additional tariffs levied on products imported from the country.
The Trump administration has also cast doubt on whether imported packages worth less than $800 will continue to enjoy duty-free status.
Shein -- a firm founded in China but now headquartered in Singapore -- and Temu have for years surfed on that practice to send tens of billions of dollars worth of product into the US from their network of Chinese factories.
Tang said that whatever happens, "we will do our best to make sure the customers' interest and customers' experience is not affected" -- without detailing any specifics.
Like other major players in the textile sector, Shein has come in for regular allegations of exploiting members of the Uighur minority in the cotton fields and factories of the northwestern Chinese region Xinjiang.
"The policy is zero tolerance" on forced labour, Tang told AFP. "We don't tolerate it at all, no questions asked."
He added that the company had a code of conduct "totally, 100 percent aligned with the International Labour Organization Convention" that it required suppliers to sign.
And once deals are in place, "we have international renowned auditors come into the factories with unannounced visits," Tang said.