Isidora Olave opens a package containing a T-shirt, a skirt and a handful of glitter stickers shipped to her front door in Santiago, Chile, all the way from China almost 20,000 kilometers (11,800 miles) away.

Like many of her peers, the 20-year-old dentistry student says she no longer has use for malls.

Instead, she shops cheaply and conveniently for "ultra-fast fashion" on Chinese platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress that also offer everything from household products to stationery.

"I bought it from Shein because I needed it for a specific occasion and it was cheaper than buying it here in Chile," Olave told AFP in Santiago of her latest online acquisition.

She paid $15 for the order, shipping included — about half of what the same items would have cost at a local shop.

According to data platform Statista, Latin Americans spent some $122 billion on online purchases in 2022, a figure expected to rise to $200 billion by 2026.

It's a fast-growing consumer trend with a massive carbon footprint and disconcerting consequences for domestic industry.

The UN says the fashion industry generates about 10 percent of planet-warming carbon emissions each year — more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

A 2023 report of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a US government agency, said "Shein and other fast fashion platforms are exacerbating this trend."

Every year, some 85 percent of all textiles sold globally end up in landfills or dumps, says the UN.

Most ends up in developing countries such as Chile, whose Atacama desert features growing mountains of discarded clothing.

– 'A major challenge' –

Latin America, once solidly within the sphere of influence of the United States, is a particular target for China's commercial expansion.

Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative has invested heavily in energy and infrastructure in the region as the Asian giant also expands its diplomatic and cultural presence.

President Xi Jinping, in Peru to attend an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, will on Thursday inaugurate South America's first Chinese-funded port, in Chancay, around 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of the capital Lima.

In a bid to shield domestic industry from the Chinese commercial onslaught, Chile and Brazil have eliminated tax exemptions for individual customers on foreign purchases below $41 and $50 respectively.

Mexico is also mulling stronger controls, but analysts are not convinced the tide can be stopped.

Companies like Shein and Temu rely on a recipe of low product prices, marketing to a captive social media audience, and advantageous pricing agreements with shipping companies.

Their sales were also bolstered by the Covid-19 pandemic that relegated millions of workers and students to shopping from home.

At Santiago airport's customs checkpoint, the result is plain to see. In 2023, it handled 20 million incoming packages. In 2024, the number is predicted to close out at about 30 million.

The number of parcels received grew by about 1,000 percent in five years, said Santiago customs head Maria Jose Rodriguez.

Checking packages for potential contraband "has been a major challenge operationally," she told AFP.

Last month, the EU announced a probe into concerns Temu is doing too little to stop the sale of illegal products.

And in 2023, US lawmakers sought reassurances from Shein, Temu and other brands over claims their products are made using forced labor.

– Addiction risk –

Experts also warn about the potential psychological risks associated with shopping addiction in a world where marketing has become increasingly intrusive.

"At night, instead of watching a series, many people spend time swiping on their (mobile) screens, browsing," Uruguayan marketing psychologist Veronica Massonier told AFP.

Young people, faced with the added phenomenon of peer pressure, are most likely to fall victim to impulse buying, she added.

Chinese tech giant Tencent posts 8% revenue growth in Q3
Beijing (AFP) Nov 13, 2024 –

Chinese tech giant Tencent on Wednesday posted an eight percent year-on-year expansion in third-quarter revenue, driven by what it called "robust" growth in its gaming business.

The Shenzhen-based firm is one of the top players in China's expansive technology sector, operating the WeChat "super-app" with other offerings across gaming, content streaming and cloud services.

Tencent recorded revenue of 167.2 billion yuan ($23.2 billion) during the three months ending on September 30, up eight percent from the same period last year, a filing at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange showed.

"During the third quarter of 2024, we delivered robust revenue growth in our games business, underpinned by consistent performance of evergreen games globally and contributions from new games with evergreen potential," the filing stated.

Net profits in the period stood at 53.2 billion yuan ($7.4 billion), jumping 47 percent year-on-year, the announcement showed.

Last year saw Tencent bring in its lowest annual profit since 2019, but the firm has bounced back, recording an 82 percent year-on-year surge in second-quarter net profits.

Tencent's latest results are expected to be followed this week by those of fellow tech titans JD.com and Alibaba, all of which are being closely monitored by investors for signs of an improvement in Chinese domestic consumption.

China's economy has struggled to fully rebound from the pandemic, with sluggish spending among the hurdles faced by companies in pursuit of stable growth.

Compounding the challenge has been a tougher regulatory environment following Beijing's 2020 crackdown on the tech sector, which imposed closer scrutiny on competition and the handling of personal data after years of relative leniency.

Since 2021, Chinese authorities have also imposed a strict weekly limit of three hours of online gaming for those under 18 to curb addiction among younger people.

Tencent — among the world's top game providers — has recently sought to build its presence in the promising field of artificial intelligence, like other major Chinese tech firms such as Baidu, Huawei, Alibaba and ByteDance.

Wednesday's filing said that the firm is "increasingly seeing tangible benefits of deploying AI", adding that its investment in the technology would continue.