Latest news with #ChinaCustoms
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
China customs seize over 40,000 fake Labubu toys
The counterfeit products uncovered in Guangdong province included blind-box toys and plush figures. - Photo: China Customs BEIJING: Chinese customs authorities have recently intercepted over 40,000 counterfeit Labubu, a top seller in Pop Mart products, which has seen growing global demand. The Gongbei Customs in Guangdong province uncovered 20,599 suspected counterfeit products on June 12, including blind-box toys and plush figures, during three separate inspections of outbound transshipment trucks at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Customs checkpoint, according to the General Administration of Customs on Wednesday (June 18). Many of the items closely resembled characters from Pop Mart's popular Labubu series, but most lacked proper trademark labels. Following confirmation from the intellectual property rights holder, the seized goods were deemed to have unauthorised use of the company's trademark and copyrighted character designs, violating its legal protections. The holder has formally applied for customs protection, and the cases are currently under further legal process, it said. This is not the only case, considering the growing demand of this 'cute-ugly' toy across the world. In June, some domestic customs reported multiple cases of intercepting the counterfeit Labubu toys. In Guangdong province, 20,599 suspected counterfeit products were uncovered during three separate inspection. - Photo: WeChat/China Customs In Zhejiang's Ningbo, the Beilun Customs officers confiscated 20,240 plush toys and plastic cups that were found to infringe on the Labubu Spring Elf series. In another case, officers at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport seized 5,961 toys falsely declared as 'dinosaur toy' or 'plush toys', all bearing Pop Mart's trademark without authorisation. Customs authorities have reminded exporters and their agents that, under China's Customs Law, all goods must be truthfully declared, including their intellectual property status. Documentation proving legal use of trademarks or copyrighted designs must be submitted when required. Infringing goods are subject to confiscation and fines. In severe cases, criminal charges may be pursued in accordance with the law, the authorities added. - China Daily/ANN
CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Cute, coveted - and counterfeit: China seizes 46,000 fake Labubu toys as state media sound alarm
BEIJING: Chinese customs authorities have recently seized more than 46,000 counterfeit Labubu toys, as the viral popularity of the trendy collectibles fuels a parallel boom in fakes and scalping. The surge in knock-offs has prompted state media warnings about a growing 'black market chain' exploiting consumers and infringing on intellectual property rights. Featuring a scruffy, wide-eyed creature with a devilish grin, Labubu shot to international fame through a combination of celebrity endorsements and social media hype. Sold by Chinese toy giant Pop Mart, Labubu's appeal has been fuelled by limited-edition drops and themed collections that heighten its sense of exclusivity. But the frenzy has also sparked a flood of counterfeits, dubbed 'Lafufu' by collectors. The latest seizures by Chinese customs authorities spanned three regions, with a significant haul logged last Thursday (Jun 12) at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. A total of 20,599 fake Labubu dolls were seized in three separate inspections of export-bound trucks. The shipments were found to have the Pop Mart logo printed on the packaging and the toys without authorisation, said China Customs in a statement on Wednesday evening. Similarly, customs officials at Ningbo in Zhejiang province found 20,240 counterfeit Labubu products while inspecting a batch of children's toys, plastic cups and other goods. In another incident at Shanghai's Pudong Airport, customs officers inspecting outbound express mail seized 5,961 knock-off Labubu toys that had been falsely declared as 'plush ornaments'. China Customs did not specify the exact dates of the seizures in Ningbo and Shanghai Pudong Airport, stating only that they took place 'recently'. It reminded exporters and agents that all goods must be truthfully declared under the law, including accurate disclosure of their intellectual property status. Offenders risk having their goods confiscated and being handed a fine. In more serious cases, they could face criminal prosecution and jail, the authorities warned. STATE MEDIA WARN OF FAKES AND FLIPPERS As the Labubu craze sweeps across China and the rest of the world, Chinese state media have warned of a growing influx of counterfeit goods and scalpers profiting at the expense of unsuspecting consumers. A commentary published Wednesday on the official WeChat account of People's Daily, China's Communist Party's flagship newspaper, warned that 'outlaws' were capitalising on the hype through rampant scalping of limited-edition Labubu dolls and the sale of counterfeits. It cited a recent case of law enforcement officers in Zhejiang busting three separate cases involving the manufacturing and sale of fake Labubu dolls. The commentary also mentioned the rush to buy Labubu dolls in the secondary market, referencing the auction in Beijing earlier this month where a human-sized Labubu figure was sold for a record 1.08 million yuan (US$150,220). 'In some secondhand markets, scalpers maliciously hoard goods and resell them at high prices, seriously disrupting normal market order,' the commentary said, adding that some merchants were selling imitation Labubu products under labels such as 'affordable substitutes' or 'one-to-one high imitations'. The People's Daily commentary also criticised cases where scalpers used software to buy genuine Labubu products, then colluded with 'high-imitation merchants' to mix authentic and fake dolls for resale. This has made it difficult for consumers to protect themselves, as a 'black market chain' has been formed, said the commentary. 'The blatant sale of these high-end Labubu (dolls) not only seriously infringes on Pop Mart's intellectual property rights and damages its brand image, but it also greatly infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.' The People's Daily's commentary further called on online platforms to 'fulfil their principal responsibilities', such as strengthening reviews on merchants and penalising those who sell counterfeit products, as well as protecting consumers' rights and interests. It also called on regulators to enhance consumer protection mechanisms, step up intellectual property enforcement, and intensify crackdowns on copyright infringement and counterfeits.
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
China, Central Asia make continuous efforts to deepen agricultural cooperation
BEIJING, June 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from People's Daily: Central Asia serves as a globally significant arid agriculture region. By leveraging their natural resources and geographic advantages, Central Asian nations have implemented strategic policies in recent years to bolster agriculture development, enhance productivity, and expand agricultural exports. Within this framework, China has steadily deepened agricultural cooperation with Central Asian countries, collaboratively advancing environmentally sustainable and green development practices. A growing diversity of specialty products from Central Asia are now entering the Chinese market and gaining popularity among consumers, including Kazakhstan's camel milk, Uzbekistan's cherries, Tajikistan's dried fruits, Kyrgyzstan's honey, and Turkmenistan's cotton. Bilateral agricultural trade between China and Central Asian countries has experienced robust growth. Data shows that trade in agricultural products between China and the five Central Asian countries surged from 2.875 billion in 2023 - a 40-fold increase over two decades. On May 21, China and Kazakhstan signed a new agreement permitting the entry of Kazakh poultry into the Chinese market. To date, over 2,500 Kazakh agricultural enterprises have secured authorization to export 29 categories of agricultural products to China. Kazakhstan, endowed with abundant agricultural resources and robust production capacity, ranks among the world's leading grain exporters. In 2024, bilateral agricultural trade between China and Kazakhstan reached $1.4 billion, a 10.5% year-over-year increase. Notably, Kazakhstan's exports to China alone stood at $1.05 billion, with key commodities including animal feed, grains, oil crops, and vegetable oils. Impressive growth was observed in specific sectors: animal feed exports surged by 485%, vegetable oils rose by 26%, and rapeseed oil exports increased by 57%. In the first quarter of 2025, bilateral agricultural trade hit $430.5 million, marking a 45% increase year on year. China now serves as Kazakhstan's largest market for agricultural exports, solidifying the strategic partnership between the two nations. To streamline cross-border trade, China Customs has established 8 dedicated "green channels" for accelerated clearance of agricultural products from Central Asia, primarily facilitated through land ports. These measures provide robust logistical support for enhancing agricultural exports from Central Asian nations to China. China is concurrently deepening agricultural science and technology partnerships with Central Asian countries under the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Chinese enterprises and universities have collaborated with Central Asian countries to launch demonstration farms and technology centers, significantly improving the quality and yield of local agricultural output. A notable example is Northwest A&F University, based in northwest China's Shaanxi province, which has co-established 8 overseas agricultural technology demonstration parks with Kazakhstan, and other Central Asian countries. These facilities focus on joint efforts in crop breeding, water-saving irrigation systems, and soil enhancement technologies, thereby elevating regional agricultural productivity. Additionally, China provides onsite training programs, remote technical guidance, and capacity-building programs to empower agricultural professionals. Professor Zhang Zhengmao of Northwest A&F University, who has conducted field research across 10 regions in Kazakhstan, highlighted the country's agricultural potential. He noted Kazakhstan's fertile soils and abundant sunlight - ideal for wheat cultivation - but emphasized that local wheat varieties often lack disease resistance and face issues of lodging. "This is precisely where Chinese agricultural research expertise can address regional challenges," he stated. To develop wheat varieties better adapted to Kazakhstan's environmental conditions, Professor Zhang's research team is collaborating with breeding institutions in China's Gansu province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. They employ a method called cross-regional shuttle breeding, systematically selecting and testing wheat strains across diverse ecological zones to enhance adaptability and productivity. "Our trials demonstrate that the selected varieties exhibit marked improvements in grain count, kernel weight, and uniformity," he noted. The deputy general manager of Kazakhstan's Aiju agro-processing and logistics park in Kazakhstan noted that Chinese high-yield wheat varieties have significantly boosted both output and quality of local crops. "The products are now exported to China and have gained strong market acceptance among Chinese consumers," he added. In Kyrgyzstan, the China-Kyrgyzstan fruit breeding technology demonstration park, also established by Northwest A&F University, is focusing on expanding increase apple production. While apples are a staple fruit in Kyrgyzstan, their cultivation is hindered by the country's hot, arid summers. Professor Zhang Dong of Northwest A&F University and his team, after nearly seven years of research, have developed rootstock-scion combinations through selective breeding. These hybrids outperform traditional seedlings in water efficiency, survival rate, and yield, increasing output by over 300 kilograms per mu (667 square meters). "In Uzbekistan, we harnessed the abundant sunlight to introduce solar-powered sprinkler systems and smart irrigation technologies that integrate water and fertilizer delivery," explained Professor Zhu Delan of Northwest A&F University. This system replaced conventional flood irrigation, resulting in a 50% increase in cotton yields, a 50% reduction in water use, and a 40% cut in investment costs," Professor Zhu revealed. Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov underscored China's role as a vital and expanding market for agricultural exports from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. He highlighted the tremendous potential for deepening agricultural cooperation between both sides, emphasizing mutual benefits in trade and technical exchange.
Bloomberg
09-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
China Soy Imports at Record as US Spat Spurs More Brazil Flows
China's soybean imports climbed to an all-time high last month as the world's biggest buyer scooped up large volumes mainly from Brazil amid concerns that its trade war with the US could boost global prices. Soybean purchases by the Asian nation more than doubled from a month earlier to 13.92 million tons in May, China's customs data showed. Imports rose 73% in April.
Reuters
09-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
China's May exports slow, deflation deepens as tariffs bite
BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) - China's May exports growth slowed to a three-month low as U.S. tariffs slammed shipments, while factory-gate deflation deepened to its worst level in two years, heaping pressure on the world's second-largest economy on both the domestic and external fronts. Exports expanded 4.8% year-on-year in value terms in May, slowing from the 8.1% jump in April and missing the 5.0% growth expected in a Reuters poll, customs data showed on Monday, despite a lowering of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods which had taken effect in early April. Imports dropped 3.4% year-on-year, deepening sharply from the 0.2% decline in April and worse than the 0.9% downturn expected in the Reuters poll. Exports had surged 12.4% year-on-year and 8.1% in March and April, respectively, as factories rushed shipments to the U.S. and other overseas manufacturers to avoid U.S. President Trump's hefty levies on China and the rest of the world. While exporters in China found some respite in May as Beijing and Washington agreed to suspend most of their levies for 90 days, tensions between the world's two largest economies remain high and negotiations are underway over issues ranging from China's rare earths controls to Taiwan. Trade representatives from China and the U.S. are meeting in London on Monday to resume talks after a phone call between their top leaders on Thursday. China's May trade surplus came in at $103.2 billion, up from the $96.18 billion the previous month. Beijing in May rolled out a series of monetary stimulus measures, including cuts to benchmark lending rates and a 500 billion yuan low-cost loan program for supporting elderly care and services consumption. The measures are aimed at cushioning the trade war's blow to an economy that relied on exports in its recovery from the pandemic shocks and a protracted property market slump. Producer and consumer price data, released by the National Bureau of Statistics on the same day, showed that deflationary pressures worsened last month. The producer price index fell 3.3% in May from a year earlier, after a 2.7% decline in April and marked the deepest contraction in 22 months, while consumer prices extended declines, having dipped 0.1% last month from a year earlier. Cooling factory activity also highlights the impact of U.S. tariffs on the world's largest manufacturing hub, dampening faster services growth as suspense lingers over the outcome of U.S.-China trade talks.
