China-EU tensions rise as Beijing levies anti-dumping tariffs on European brandy

China has decided to levy anti-dumping tariffs on European cognac, mostly produced in France, for the next five years, effective from Saturday.

“There is dumping of related imported brandy from the EU, the domestic brandy industry faces a material threat of injury, and there is a causal relationship between the dumping and the material injury threat. The determined dumping margins range from 27.7 per cent to 34.9 per cent,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.

The decision was announced on the day Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was set to visit Paris on his Europe tour, and one day before the July 5 deadline when China’s anti-dumping investigation was supposed to conclude.

There will be no retroactive imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports of the relevant brandy originating from the EU, from October 11 up to and including Friday.

More to follow …