Shein’s silence is farcical. It must answer fair questions if it wants a London listing

Yinan Zhu, the general counsel for Shein’s European division, told the committee that ‘detailed operational information’ was beyond her remit. Photograph: House of Commons/PA

It is “not unusual” for UK-listed companies to carry legal risks around the world, Nikhil Rathi, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, told the FT last month. The boss of the regulatory body that ultimately decides which companies can list their shares in London added: “What’s important is that they disclose it, the investors understand it and they can price that risk.”

Rathi’s remarks were inevitably read as aimed at Shein, the Chinese-founded but Singapore-headquartered fast-fashion retailer whose possible listing in London has been a running story since the company filed preliminary paperwork seven months ago.