US President Joe Biden has proposed removing a trade exemption that allows goods made in China and shipped by popular companies such as Shein and Temu to bypass import duties if they are worth less than $800.

美國總統拜登提議取消一項貿易豁免政策。該政策允許由中國制造、經中國跨境電商平臺Shein和Temu等熱門公司運輸，價值低於800美元的商品免繳關稅。

A US trade association said such changes would also affect American companies and consumers who enjoy buying the low-cost goods.

一家美國貿易協會表示，這種變化也會影響喜歡購買低價商品的美國公司和消費者。

The "de minimis'' exemption permits such packages to be flown into the United States without levies or processing fees.

“小額豁免”政策允許此類包裹進口美國時，無需支付關稅或手續費。

The Biden administration wants the packages to no longer be exempt from tariffs if they fall under Sections 201 or 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, or Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, according to a statement released by the White House on Friday.

根據白宮13日發表的聲明，拜登政府希望，如果符合美國《1974年貿易法》第201條、第301條，或《1962年貿易擴大法》第232條的規定，這些商品將不再享受關稅豁免。

But the administration's changes will not go into effect right away, The New York Times reported, adding that the proposal will be subject to comment by industries before being finalized in the coming months. There also is a presidential election on Nov 5.

但政府的改革不會立即生效，《紐約時報》報道稱，在未來幾個月內最終敲定前，該提案將征求各行業的意見。總統選舉也將在11月5日舉行。

More than 1 billion de minimis packages from across the globe came through US customs in 2023, up from 134 million in 2015, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

根據美國海關和邊境保護局的數據，2023年，有超過10億個來自全球各地的“小額豁免”包裹通過美國海關，高於2015年的1.34億個。

China is the biggest source of retail packages entering the US daily, with around 3 million falling under de minimis, CBP data shows.

美國海關和邊境保護局數據顯示，中國是每天進入美國的零售包裹的最大來源國，其中約有300萬個包裹屬於“小額豁免”範圍。

Z. John Zhang, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told China Daily that Chinese fast-fashion brands are so successful because they offer international consumers several perks.

賓夕法尼亞大學沃頓商學院的市場營銷學教授張忠告訴《中國日報》，中國快時尚品牌之所以如此成功，是因為它們為國際消費者提供了多項優惠。

"Prices are lower, helped by a significant extent by zero tariffs that the US is levying on small parcels of less than $800 in value," Zhang said.

“價格的低廉，在很大程度上得益於美國對價值800美元以下的小包裹征收零關稅。”張忠表示。

Shein and Temu have defended their businesses.

中國跨境電商平臺Shein和Temu對此表態。

"Since Temu's launch in September 2022, our mission has been to offer consumers a wider selection of quality products at affordable prices," a Temu spokesperson told arstechnica.com, a technology news website. "We achieve this through an efficient business model that cuts out unnecessary middlemen, allowing us to pass savings directly to our customers. Temu's growth does not depend on the de minimis policy."

“自Temu於2022年9月推出以來，我們的使命一直是為消費者提供更多物美價廉的商品。”Temu發言人告訴科技新聞網站arstechnica.com，“我們通過高效的商業模式來實現這一目標，這種模式剔除了不必要的中間環節，使我們能夠將節省下來的成本直接惠及顧客。Temu 的發展並不依賴‘小額豁免’政策。”

A Shein spokesperson told arstechnica that the company "makes import compliance a top priority, including the reporting requirements under US law with respect to de minimis entries".

Shein發言人告訴arstechnica，該公司 “將進口合規性作為重中之重，包括美國法律規定的有關‘小額豁免’包裹入境的報告要求”。

The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), a trade association based in Washington, said the changes to the rule won't affect only Chinese fast-fashion brands, but also American companies and consumers who enjoy buying the low-cost goods.

全美對外貿易委員會表示，對政策規則的修改不僅會影響中國的快時尚品牌，還會影響那些喜歡購買低價商品的美國公司和消費者。

In a letter dated March 6, the NFTC wrote to Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, and Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council of the US, on behalf of several US trade organizations.

3月6日，全美對外貿易委員會代表美國多家貿易組織，致函美國總統國家安全事務助理傑克·沙利文和美國國家經濟委員會主任萊爾·布雷納德。

The trade body had urged the government to "protect an essential component of America's economic health and supply chain efficiency: de minimis treatment of low-value goods entering the US".

信中，該貿易組織敦促美國政府“保護美國經濟健康和供應鏈效率的重要組成部分——對進入美國的低價商品實行‘小額豁免’待遇”。

The letter was backed by the Consumer Technology Association, the Express Association of America (EAA), the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Foreign Trade Council TechNet and the US Chamber of Commerce.

這封信得到了美國消費技術協會、美國快遞協會、全美制造商協會、全美對外貿易委員會TechNet和美國商會的支持。

"De minimis has benefitted thousands of American small businesses across all sectors," the letter said. "For example, de minimis allows businesses to obtain inputs for domestically manufactured products into the US more efficiently and with fewer unnecessary administrative requirements.

“‘小額豁免’使各行各業數以千計的美國小企業受益。” 信中說道，“比如，它使企業能夠更有效地獲得對美國國內制造產品的投入，減少不必要的行政要求。

"It has also made purchasing goods online more affordable and accessible for consumers at a time of inflation and supply chain challenges."

“在通貨膨脹和供應鏈面臨挑戰的時候，它還使消費者能夠更實惠、更方便地在線購買商品。”

Earlier this year, US lawmakers called on the federal government to amend or shut down the de minimis exemption. A group of 40 lawmakers asked Homeland Security Secretary Alexander Mayorkas in a February letter to explore amending the use of the rule.

今年早些時候，美國國會議員就呼籲聯邦政府修改或取消“小額豁免”政策。2月，40 位美國國會議員寫信要求美國國土安全部部長亞歷杭德羅·馬約爾卡斯探討修改該規則的使用。

The NFTC estimates that changes to the de minimis rule will more than double the price of a $50 package based on a processing fee of $31.67 and a brokerage fee of $20 after it arrives in the US.

全美對外貿易委員會估計，基於31.67美元的手續費和運抵美國后20美元的中介費，對“小額豁免”政策的修改將使價值50美元的包裹的價格翻一番以上。

It also could lead 88 other countries with de minimis policies to adjust their rules, which could hurt American exporters.

這也可能導致其它88個實行“小額豁免”政策的國家調整其規則，從而損害美國出口商的利益。

The de minimis exemption, Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930, was created in 1938. Its aim was to help facilitate global commerce and allow for small packages valued at less than $5 ($160 in today's dollars) to get to customers quickly and efficiently.

“小額豁免”，即美國《1930年關稅法》第321條，創立於1938年。其目的是幫助促進全球貿易，使價值低於5美元（按現在的價值計算為160美元）的小包裹能夠快速、高效地送達顧客手中。

The value of the packages allowed under the rule has gone up steadily over the years from $200 in 1994 to $800 in 2016, per person, per day.

多年來，該規則允許的包裹價值穩步上升，從1994年的每人每天200美元增至2016年的800美元。