Turkish competition authorities conducted an early morning raid on the local offices of Chinese e-commerce platform Temu on Wednesday, marking a significant escalation in regulatory oversight of global “ultra-fast” retail.
A spokesperson for Temu confirmed the operation to Reuters, stating that officials seized several laptops and desktop computers as part of an ongoing probe. While the Turkish antitrust authority (Rekabet Kurumu) has yet to release a formal statement regarding the specific triggers for the raid, the company has pledged its full cooperation.
The crackdown follows a wave of international scrutiny for Temu’s parent company, PDD Holdings. Just last month, the company’s European headquarters in Dublin faced a similar “dawn raid” by EU regulators investigating potential violations of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). Türkiye has also tightened its grip on cross-border e-commerce recently; new regulations that took effect in 2025 mandate stricter local representation and safety compliance for platforms selling to Turkish consumers.
Temu’s business model—connecting Chinese manufacturers directly to global consumers to offer rock-bottom prices—has disrupted local markets, but it is now facing a coordinated pushback from regulators concerned about fair competition and state-backed advantages.
