The Biden administration is intensifying efforts to curb cheap imports from China, targeting e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu that have taken advantage of the “de minimis” rule to bypass tariffs on low-value shipments.

The Biden-Harris administration has announced it’s proposing to take regulatory actions to cut down on what it describes as “overuse and abuse” of a trade loophole, with senior administration officials saying they’re concerned about how e-commerce giants Temu and Shein have relied on the loophole.

In his announcement proposing to crack down on "unsafe, unfairly traded products," President Joe Biden accused China-founded e-commerce platforms selling cheap goods of abusing the "de minimis exemption" that makes shipments valued under $800 duty-free.

Measures tightening customs waivers on low-value shipments of foreign goods going directly to U.S. consumers may undercut allegedly unfair cheaper pricing by Chinese e-commerce companies Shein and Temu.