China on Friday (July 4, 2025) imposed anti-dumping duties on European brandy, most notably cognac produced in France, as trade tensions between Beijing and United States allies proceed to rise.
The tariffs, efficient on Saturday, will vary from 27.7% to 34.9%, China’s Commerce Ministry mentioned. They are to be in place for 5 years and won’t be utilized retroactively.
The announcement got here throughout a European go to by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi aimed toward ironing out trade variations. Mr. Wang was set to go to Paris after stops in Brussels and Berlin.
The anti-dumping duties are the results of a probe China launched final 12 months into European cognac, after the European Union undertook a probe into Chinese electrical autos subsidies.
“The investigative authority finally ruled that the dumping of related imported brandy from the EU has existed,” learn a press release by China’s Commerce Ministry. “The domestic brandy industry faces a material threat of damage, and there is a causal relationship between the dumping and the substantial damage threat.”
Besides cognac, China has additionally launched investigations into European pork and dairy merchandise. The brandy probe was the primary and focused primarily French makers of cognac and comparable spirits such as Armagnac.
China initially introduced provisional tariffs of 30.6% to 39% on French cognac producer Remy Martin and different European brandies after a majority of E.U. nations authorized duties on electrical autos made in China.
Wang was set to fulfill his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, later Friday in Paris.
His European tour comes forward of a China-EU summit to be centered on trade later this month in Beijing.
