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.

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.

The Biden administration will restrict the use of a trade provision that lets China-founded e-commerce giants such as Temu and Shein to more easily ship to the U.S., a move that comes amid a groundswell of bipartisan pressure to close what critics regard as a “loophole.

New White House rules would close a tax loophole that lets Shein and Temu cheaply ship from China to American shoppers. The Biden administration says it undercuts U.S. workers, retailers and manufacturers.