eFinder

eFinder

Home › E-commerce and Cross-Border Trade Volume › Article

Flood of small parcels from China pushes Belgian airport to limit

South China Morning Post · · 303 words · By Xiaofei Xu
E-commerce and Cross-Border Trade Volume EU Trade Standards and Customs Enforcement
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351338/flood-small-parcels-c…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

7 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
check_circle
“More than 4 million small parcels from China have arrived at the freight airport in Liege, Belgium, every day since the beginning of the year.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report the massive influx of parcels from China to Liege Airport. One source quantifies the increase from 1,600 per day in 2017 to four million last year, establishing the scale of the increase.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Liège Airport (east) is also a major air freight platform from China.In total, the number of customs declarations for parcels linked to e-commerce has increased from 1,600 per day in 2017 to four mill…
https://fashionunited.com/news/retail/e-commerce-belgium-fac…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Liege Airport handled 342,845 tonnes of air cargo in the first quarter of 2026, a 16% jump over the same period last year, as the Belgian gateway extended a growth streak that has made it Europe’s fas…
https://breakbulk.news/liege-airport-posts-16-cargo-surge-in…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Who Is China Parcels For? Our platform serves as a professional tool for active online shoppers and small businesses needing total logistics visibility. If you want to organize multiple incoming parce…
https://chinaparcels.com/
check_circle
“On the receiving end, the Belgian customs inspection team at the airport has only 80 members.”
CORROBORATED
One web search result explicitly states that 'More than 4 million small parcels from China have arrived at the freight airport in Liege, Belgium, every day since the beginning of the year. On the receiving end, the Belgian customs inspection team at the airport has only 80 members.' This claim is supported by the context of the web search results detailing the overwhelming volume of parcels.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The fortified position of Liège (French: position fortifiée de Liège [PFL]) was established after the First World War by Belgium to block the traditional invasion corridor through Belgium between Germ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortified_position_of_Liège
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Liège–Bastogne–Liège [ljɛʒ.bas.tɔɲ.ljɛʒ] , also known as La Doyenne ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium. First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five Monuments of the Eur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liège–Bastogne–Liège
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (French: Standard de Liège [stɑ̃daʁ d(ə) ljɛʒ]; Dutch: Standard Luik [ˈstɑndɑrt ˈlœyk]; German: Standard Lüttich [ˈstandaʁt ˈlʏtɪç, ˈʃta…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Liège
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Belgium’s top customs official, Kristian Vanderwaeren, said the airport, close to the Netherlands, Germany and France, was built, in part, to cater to e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Shein, Temu and Alibaba.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results mention e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Shein, Temu, and Alibaba in the context of the airport's activity, but none of the provided evidence explicitly quote Kristian Vanderwaeren stating that the airport was *built* in part to cater to these specific platforms. The evidence only shows these platforms are relevant to the current e-commerce surge.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “We don’t want Alibaba, Amazon or any other e-commerce here. They are incompatible with the fight against global warming” — François Schreuer, founding member of Watching Alibaba. The deal allows smal…
https://www.politico.eu/article/go-back-to-your-cave-alibaba…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Technology platforms are like transnational states: they may perhaps pay fines in the billions, but they will almost certainly never pay taxes equivalent to those paid by their competitors. And they w…
https://www.giuseppecaprotti.it/en/where-the-world-goes-with…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Import & Export on alibaba.com.Discover Alibaba Lens. Use this image search extension to find and compare similar products with wholesale prices and customization options anywhere online.
https://www.alibaba.com/
info
“But the “explosion” in the number of small parcels from China being diverted to Europe since US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House last year was pushing the airport’s capacity to its limit, he said.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results mention Donald Trump and China tariffs, and the context of parcel surges, but none of the provided evidence directly links the 'explosion' of parcels from China to a specific timeframe starting with 'US President Donald Trump's return to the White House last year.' The evidence regarding Trump's visits is historical or future-dated, not tied to the parcel surge timeline.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Throughout both of his presidencies, U.S. president Donald Trump has expressed a desire to expand the United States' territory and influence through both land purchases and military means. Trump first…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_expansionism_under_Do…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The use of makeup and cosmetics by Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, has been a subject of media coverage since before his entry into electoral politics. He has been repo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makeup_of_Donald_Trump
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a Republican, previously served as the 45th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_presidency_of_Donald_Tr…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Vanderwaeren said the situation in Liege had further deteriorated after Italy and France introduced their own handling fees for small parcels this year, because more parcels were now being redirected to the Belgian airport to avoid those charges.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results confirm that the situation at Liege Airport worsened due to handling fees introduced by Italy and France, causing redirection of parcels to Belgium. However, this specific sequence of events and the direct attribution to Vanderwaeren's statement are only present in the context of the search results, lacking independent corroboration from multiple sources.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Battle of Liège (5–16 August 1914) was the opening engagement of the German invasion of Belgium and the first battle of the First World War. The city of Liège was protected by a ring of modern for…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Liège
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Liège ( lee-EZH, lee-AYZH; French: [ljɛʒ] ; Walloon: Lîdje [liːtʃ]; Dutch: Luik [lœyk] ; German: Lüttich [ˈlʏtɪç] ) is a city and municipality in the Belgian region of Wallonia, and the capital of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liège
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Liège–Bastogne–Liège [ljɛʒ.bas.tɔɲ.ljɛʒ] , also known as La Doyenne ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium. First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five Monuments of the Eur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liège–Bastogne–Liège
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“He said the solution was for both sides to work together to ensure Chinese products met European standards before they reached the continent.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results discuss EU-China trade relations and the need for cooperation, but none of the provided evidence contains the direct quote or statement attributed to Vanderwaeren suggesting that the solution *requires* China and Europe to cooperate to meet standards before entry.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the second-most populous country after India, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, representing 17% of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — China–European Union relations are the bilateral relations between the European Union (EU) and the People's Republic of China (PRC or China), established in 1975 between China and the European Communi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China–European_Union_relations
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Given textual and archaeological evidence, it is thought that thousands of Europeans lived in Imperial China during the Yuan dynasty. These were people from countries traditionally belonging to the la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europeans_in_Medieval_China
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Vanderwaeren said 30 per cent of the small parcels inspected were in violation of EU standards, while for certain goods, such as cosmetic products, the infringement rate was 100 per cent.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results attribute specific violation percentages to Kristian Vanderwaeren: one mentions 30% of inspected parcels violating EU standards, and another mentions the infringement rate for cosmetic products being 100%. This consistency across multiple search snippets strongly corroborates the claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Kristian VANDERWAEREN, Director General of the General Administration of Customs and Excise, in front of seized counterfeit items © André Orban. Customs at Liège Airport opened its doors to the press …
https://www.aviation24.be/airports/liege/e-commerce-surge-ov…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — These are parcels with a declared value of less than 150 euros, the limit below which no import duty has to be paid. “Almost all of them are parcels from China,” Kristian Vanderwaeren, director genera…
https://www.belganewsagency.eu/unions-and-employers-call-on-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Kristian Vanderwaeren, Administrator General of Customs since 2015, has been awarded Tax Professional of the Year. The award recognises tax professionals who achieve social and sustainable impact. Van…
https://en.flows.be/people/2025/06/vanderwaeren-wins-tax-pro…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.