Chinese and French presidents tackle cognac tariffs in phone call: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said after a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday that both sides had agreed to advance efforts as quickly as possible to resolve a trade dispute over cognac tariffs.

“We have agreed to move forward as quickly as possible on the issue of cognac, which is essential for our producers,” Macron wrote in a post on social media.

Macron, who spoke to Xi ahead of the French leader’s trip to Southeast Asia, said in his post that he reaffirmed that Chinese investments were welcome in France, but that companies must enjoy fair competition in the two countries.

French cognac has been subject to a Chinese anti-dumping investigation into EU brandy since January.

The probe was extended in April, giving European Union exporters more time to find a way to avoid Chinese penalties.

The reference to cognac was not mentioned in the Chinese readout of the phone conversation.