China subsidizes shipping for domestic businesses either a) explicitly as a part of economic policy, or b) implicitly/de facto via corruption. In other words,

China subsidizes shipping for domestic businesses either a) explicitly as a part of economic policy, or b) implicitly/de facto via corruption. In other words, for the business selling you the item, shipping is free. It's the Chinese citizen/taxpayer that foots the bill. This shouldn't be surprising since China, eg, is notorious for devaluing their own currency as a means of boosting exports. This is effectively a tax on the greater populace for the benefit of their manufacturing sector.