Two senior U.S. politicians pushed for investigations into discount e-tailers Shein and Temu, including into claims of forced labor and intellectual property theft.

BBC News reported December 2 that the Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a probe into allegations of forced labor and the use of unsafe materials at Shein. Meanwhile, Republican Senator from Arkansas, Tom Cotton, called for a federal investigation into possible IP theft by both Shein and Temu, which he labelled "Communist Chinese" platforms.

Shein has its headquarters in Singapore, but most of the goods sold on its platform are made in China, where it was founded.

The online retail giant said in a statement that it would co-operate with the investigation and that it welcomed "constructive engagement" with Paxton, and that the company continues to invest in protecting the rights of designers worldwide. "We are constantly improving our internal processes to better protect creators," said Shein.

The BBC said that Temu did not immediately respond for comment.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on December 1, Cotton said the ending of the de minimis rule that effectively allowed millions of packages to enter the U.S. without duties or scrutiny presented a “golden opportunity.” Now, according to Cotton, millions of packages from China sit in U.S. warehouses awaiting Customs inspection, and could therefore be assessed for violations.

Cotton cited a U.S. investigation which found a significant proportion of items that its researchers bought on Shein and Temu were likely counterfeits. Separately, Paxton from Texas said numerous reports have raised serious concerns about Shein's alleged reliance on forced labor, and claims of the use of unsafe materials and deceptive marketing. The brand has been under scrutiny over the environmental impact of its fast-fashion business and the working conditions of the people employed by companies that sell goods on its site.