Taipei [Taiwan], April 17 : Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao has been fined NTD 1.2 million (USD 36,900) by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs for breaching local regulations through unauthorised advertising practices, as scrutiny intensifies over China's economic influence and suspected use of Taiwan as a conduit for goods amid broader geopolitical tensions, Taipei Times reported.
The Ministry said that Taobao's promotional activities, including prominent advertisements placed in Taipei metro stations last November, exceeded the platform's officially approved business scope. It ordered the company to make necessary corrections within the first half of this year, warning that failure to comply could lead to the revocation of its license to operate in Taiwan.
The fine and enforcement come amid rising concerns about the role of Chinese firms in potentially laundering goods through Taiwan to bypass international restrictions.
During a meeting of the legislature's Finance Committee, lawmakers addressed the broader issue of origin laundering and dumping of Chinese goods into Taiwan's market. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen accused China of dumping beer and said platforms like Taobao were employing similar tactics, reported Taipei Times.
The committee called on government agencies to tighten oversight and implement stronger safeguards against such practices, especially as the United States, under former President Donald Trump's administration, has taken a hard-line stance on curbing Chinese origin laundering globally.
Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Cynthia Kiang confirmed the fine and reiterated that Taobao's advertisements were not covered by the business categories under which it is registered in Taiwan - namely, electronic information supply services and advertisement leaflet distribution. She said the ads in metro stations clearly exceeded the latter scope.
The ministry said Taobao's actions violated Article 73 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area and Article 9 of the Regulations Governing Investment Permits by Mainland Area People, Taipei Times reported.
The platform failed to seek approval before altering its investment plan, it said. If no corrective measures are taken, the ministry may issue additional fines, revoke the investment permit, and order a withdrawal of operations.