EU accuses China’s AliExpress of ‘systemic failure’ over illegal goods

After formal findings of an investigation, an EU official said AliExpress had ‘underestimated the general risk of the sale of illegal products’. Photograph: Sheldon Cooper/Sopa Images/Shutterstock

The European Commission has accused the online retailer AliExpress of a “systemic failure” to prevent the sale of illegal and dangerous goods on its platform, as Brussels steps up its case against the Chinese company.

Issuing formal findings of an investigation launched in March last year, EU regulators said on Wednesday that AliExpress was failing to do enough to prevent the sale of counterfeit clothes and dangerous children’s toys, among other items.