Chinese online retailer scores exclusive deal with Taylor Swift

To the millions of Chinese who spot the slogan, it will immediately call to mind the Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 4, 1989, a major political taboo in communist China.

The Chinese government hasn’t yet taken action to block Swift from selling merchandise in the country, and the singer is still set to play a three-night stand at Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in November.

American pop star Taylor Swift is launching her own branded clothing line to be sold by China’s two biggest online retailers, in an effort to fight rampant counterfeiting in the country.

Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:JD), China’s largest online direct sales company, announced today it will be the first authorized seller of Taylor Swift merchandise in China.

Starting August 8, JD.com and Alibaba’s Tmall marketplace site will carry Taylor Swift-branded $60 designer T-shirts, said Kate Liegey, chief operating officer of Heritage66. Earlier this year, Swift also had registered more lyrics and phrases from her 1989 album in addition to her other trademarks, including “Cause we never go out of style”, “this sick beat”, “Nice to meet you”.

Swift, a seven-time Grammy Award victor, showed her clout in the music industry last month when she confronted Apple and won. Very much living in the present, she sang the sleekest tunes from “1989” as if she has been making this kind of music all along. The new Swift line will only be sold on the website’s US platform.

Chinese authorities have yet to (publicly) raise any objections to the clothing line – and it may be in their interests to leave it be. She joins an increasingly crowded bandwagon of USA companies and trade groups pushing China’s e-commerce players to halt the rampant selling of knockoffs.