Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia has requested that Alphabet’s Google and Apple remove the Chinese fast fashion e-commerce platform Temu from their app stores in the country to prevent it from being downloaded, a government minister announced on Friday via Reuters.
The decision aims to protect local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the influx of cheap products offered by PDD Holdings’ Temu, according to Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, although there have been no recorded transactions by Indonesian users on the platform so far.
Temu’s rapid expansion has drawn attention in several countries due to its low-cost business model, which involves shipping products directly from factories in China to customers. Budi criticized this approach, calling it “unhealthy competition” because it significantly undercuts prices.
“Our priority is not to safeguard e-commerce platforms, but to protect our small and medium businesses. We have millions to look after,” he stated.
The Indonesian government also intends to block any potential investment by Temu in local e-commerce, should such plans arise, Budi added, noting that no such proposals have been made yet.
Additionally, the government is considering a similar request to block the Chinese shopping service Shein.
It should be noted that the Indonesian government has blocked Temu to protect SMEs, with another one update being Bukalapak denying reports of Temu acquiring them to boost the popular e-commerce app’s expansion in Indonesia.
