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Greek Retailers Call on EU to Accelerate Fee on Low-Value E-Commerce Parcels

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Greek retailers have urged the European Union to implement earlier than planned a €2 ($2.30) handling fee on low-value e-commerce packages entering the bloc, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

The EU had announced in May plans to end the duty-free treatment for consignments valued at €150 or less and impose the new fee starting in 2028, aiming to address the surge of online goods imports, primarily from Asia.

In the letter addressed to EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, Stavros Kafounis, president of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce, requested the fee be applied no later than 2026.

EU customs handled around 4.6 billion low-value parcels in 2024, with 91% originating from China, a figure that doubled from 2023. Approximately 20% of Greek e-commerce sales revenue goes to Chinese platforms, a share expected to grow sharply in the coming years.

Kafounis emphasized that the rapid expansion of major Chinese e-commerce platforms has distorted fair competition within the EU retail market.

Under the proposal, the €2 fee would be charged to online retailers rather than consumers. The measure still requires approval from EU member states and the European Parliament.

Foxconn Sends 97% of India iPhone Exports to U.S. as Apple Navigates Trump’s Tariffs

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Foxconn, Apple’s key contract manufacturer, shipped nearly all of the iPhones exported from India to the United States between March and May 2025, according to customs data reviewed by Reuters. The figure reached 97%, significantly higher than the 2024 average of about 50%, highlighting Apple’s strategic effort to bypass steep U.S. tariffs imposed on imports from China.

During this three-month period, Foxconn exported iPhones worth $3.2 billion from India, with shipments to the U.S. totaling nearly $1 billion in May alone—the second-highest monthly export value on record. Overall, Foxconn’s India-to-U.S. iPhone exports totaled $4.4 billion in the first five months of 2025, already surpassing the entire 2024 value of $3.7 billion.

Apple has been accelerating iPhone production in India as a means to reduce the impact of U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made devices, which Trump’s administration set as high as 55% on some Chinese goods. India faces a baseline 10% tariff and has been negotiating to avoid a 26% “reciprocal” tariff that the U.S. temporarily paused earlier this year.

Despite Apple CEO Tim Cook’s push for expanded production in India, former President Donald Trump criticized the move in May, insisting Apple should manufacture more phones in the U.S. rather than abroad.

Efforts to speed exports include Apple chartering cargo flights transporting billions worth of iPhone models directly to the U.S. and lobbying for faster customs clearance at Chennai airport, a critical hub for iPhone exports in southern India.

Analysts expect “Made-in-India” iPhones to represent 25-30% of global shipments in 2025, up from 18% in 2024, signaling a growing shift in Apple’s supply chain strategy.

Another supplier, Tata Electronics, part of India’s Tata Group, also exports mostly to the U.S., sending about 86% of its iPhone shipments from India there during March and April.

Despite government efforts to promote India as a smartphone manufacturing center, higher component import duties keep production costs relatively elevated compared to other countries. Apple continues to rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing, with around 80% of iPhones sold in the U.S. still produced there.

US Warns Huawei Can Produce No More Than 200,000 AI Chips in 2025, But China Is Catching Up

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Huawei Technologies will likely produce no more than 200,000 advanced artificial intelligence chips in 2025, according to Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security at the U.S. Commerce Department. While this figure falls short of meeting China’s growing demand, Kessler cautioned that China is rapidly narrowing the technological gap with the United States.

Speaking before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia subcommittee on Thursday, Kessler emphasized that the production limitations do not mean the U.S. can become complacent. “China is investing huge amounts to increase its AI chip production, as well as the capabilities of the chips that it produces. So, it’s critical for us not to have a false sense of security,” he warned.

Since 2019, Washington has implemented a series of export controls restricting Huawei and other Chinese firms’ access to high-end U.S. chips and manufacturing equipment. These curbs aim to slow China’s progress in critical technologies and prevent potential military applications. Despite these hurdles, Huawei plans to supply its domestically produced Ascend 910C AI chips to Chinese customers as an alternative to Nvidia’s more advanced products.

White House AI Czar David Sacks recently stated that China is only 3-6 months behind the U.S. in AI model capabilities. However, he clarified that Chinese AI chip hardware remains about one to two years behind leading U.S. competitors such as Nvidia. Huawei’s CEO Ren Zhengfei also acknowledged the gap, noting that the company’s chips trail behind U.S. products by a generation, though Huawei continues to invest more than $25 billion annually to advance performance.

While Huawei is expanding its AI chip output, U.S. export controls have hampered Nvidia’s ability to maintain its market dominance in China. Recent trade negotiations between the U.S. and China in London resulted in a tentative truce, yet tensions persist, especially after the Trump administration imposed new export controls on semiconductor design software, jet engines for Chinese aircraft, and other critical technologies.

During the congressional hearing, Democratic Representative Greg Meeks raised concerns about the Trump administration’s approach, suggesting it has blurred the lines between export control policy and broader trade issues. Kessler reassured lawmakers that export controls remain robust and effective, while also stressing that the Commerce Department will continue to actively monitor and adjust regulations as the technology landscape evolves.

At present, there are no immediate plans for further restrictions on U.S. semiconductor sales to China, though officials remain vigilant about developments in China’s domestic semiconductor sector.