China imposed temporary anti-dumping measures on goods from the European Union after the bloc voted in favour of tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), according to Reuters.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said the dumping of brandy from the EU threatened China’s own brandy sector with “substantial damage.” As a result, Beijing hit EU brands including Hennessy and Remy Martin on Tuesday. France’s cognac lobby claimed the new duties were a retaliation to tariffs on EVs and called on authorities to protect the brandy industry.
An investigation into dairy subsidies announced by China’s Ministry of Commerce in August would focus on various types of cheese, milk and cream intended for human consumption. The measure was a response to a complaint filed on 29 July by the China Dairy Industry Association on behalf of the domestic dairy industry.
The EU was China’s second-largest source of dairy products, with 36 per cent of the total import value in 2023, according to Chinese customs data. The EU exported 1.7 billion euros ($1.84 billion) of dairy products to China in 2023, the European Commission reported.
Another anti-dumping investigation in June targeted pork. The ministry said it was prompted by a complaint filed by the China Animal Husbandry Association on behalf of the domestic pork industry.
Pork suppliers from South America, the US and Russia could be among those to gain market share if Beijing restricted imports from the EU. The EU accounts for more than half of China’s imports of pork worth about $6 billion in 2023, according to customs data.
Beijing launched an anti-dumping investigation in May against POM (Polyoxymethylene) copolymers imported from the EU, the US, Japan and Taiwan. This plastic is often used in wet engineering environments.
