Increasingly strong presence in Argentina for distributed products Large Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu A quarrel sparked between the founder of Mercado Libre, Marcus Galperin Head of the Federal Meeting Bloc in the House of Representatives, Miguel Angel PichitoTo which he suggested he “start worrying.”
On Friday the 7th of this month, Pichito posted on X: “You were the first to talk about Need to be heavily taxed For products of the Chinese platforms Shein and Temu. Now I see there are a lot of people involved, including Mr. Galperin from Mercado Libre.”
Although he did not clarify this, he was referring to the fact that on Thursday the 6th of this month, the President of the Argentine Duty Free Shop, Juan Martin de la SernaHe claimed,Good regulatory frameworkAnd the same applies to everyone who competes” within the framework of the APISP Forum.
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“Congress needs to work on this Regulating this platform economy And take care of national industry and Argentine employment,” Bechetto closed his tweet.
Marcos Galperin, known as Argentina’s richest man, who resided in Uruguay at the end of 2019 in disagreement with the country’s tax policy, responded on Saturday: “I’m not worried. Let’s compete with them In the same way we compete with them (sic), so far with great success, in many other countries on the continent.”
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Pichitto responded on Sunday, saying:You better start worrying, Marcus Galperin, because Chinese platforms will bypass you.” He concluded: “It is already affecting your business and… Loss of job From those who work in freight distribution.
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The request submitted by the President of Mercado Libre Argentina for the state to regulate Chinese platforms that They compete at lower prices It unleashed a wave of responses in which sarcasm prevailed, as Galperin has a public position In favor of economic liberalismand supports the liberal government measures of Javier Miley.
In his speech delivered on Thursday at the Abicip Forum, Juan Martin de la Serna He warned that “no local job opportunities are being created” under the current circumstances of opening imports. “When you randomly open up the market and an Asian company sends you products by ship, actually You give work to Chinese companies, not Argentine ones“, He said.
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He also stressed that the expansion of sales of low-cost products distributed by Chinese platforms generates a… “The risk of undermining the local productive fabric and endangering job opportunities in the region.”. He added: “What seems important for us is to differentiate ourselves: in general, these Asian companies sell Low quality products.
Last August, she also invited the Argentine Dressing Chamber (CIAI). Developing laws and control mechanisms that regulate the entry of clothing Of the Chinese clothing products that arrive through the Shein and Temu website, which they call “Ultra-fast fashion.”
According to the sensor tower, In Latin America, Temu monthly active users increased 143% year-on-year in the first half of 2025reaching more than 105 million people. The app, popular for its ultra-low prices and free shipping, ranks among the most used marketplaces in the region. For its part, Mercado Libre continues to be the largest e-commerce company in Latin America, with more than 112,000 employees and 27 consecutive quarters of annual growth of more than 30%.
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