China warns its citizens: things you buy online might be fake
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Version 0 of 1. More than 40% of goods sold online in China during 2014 were either counterfeit or of bad quality, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Related: Bathtub booze and knock-off whisky: inside China's fake alcohol industry A report delivered to China’s top lawmakers on Monday said just under 59% of items sold online last year were “genuine or of good quality”, Xinhua said. China has been trying to shake off a notoriety for pirated and counterfeit goods, long a major headache for global brands targeting the Chinese market from iPhone maker Apple to luxury retailer LVMH. Chinese online shopping company Alibaba has been lobbying to stay off a US blacklist for fakes after coming under renewed pressure this year over suspected counterfeits on its shopping platforms. The report called for “accelerated legislation in e-commerce, improved supervision and clarification of consumers’ rights and sellers’ responsibilities”. It added these were needed due to the rapid emergence of online sales, which grew 40% in 2014 to 2.8tn yuan ($441.84bn/£286bn). China wants to boost protection for consumers online, where there is still a lot of uncertainty about how to claim compensation or hold online vendors to account. The report added customer complaints about online orders hit 77,800 in 2014, a steep jump of 356.6% against 2013. |