China will impose temporary anti-dumping measures against brandy imported from the European Union, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Monday (11 November).
In a statement, Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce said that starting November 15, when importing products under investigation, importing operators will be required to submit guarantee documents to Chinese customs authorities.
“The investigating authorities have decided to implement temporary anti-dumping measures in the form of a cash deposit or letter of guarantee” against European brandy products, reads the note, which specifies that the dumping margins range from 30, 6% to 39.0% for each company.
The products examined are liqueurs obtained by distilling grape wine in containers with a capacity of less than 200 litres, usually called brandy and used mainly as alcoholic beverages for human consumption.
The measures, based on calculations that take into account customs-approved prices and import taxes, follow a similar announcement made by the ministry on October 8.
Among the companies subject to the investigation conducted by Beijing are the well-known French cognac producers, Martell & Co, Jas Hennessy & Co and Remy Martin. Beijing’s decision while progress has been made on the ongoing negotiations between China and the European Union to remove the duties imposed by Brussels against Chinese electric cars.
As highlighted by the Chinese newspaper The Global Times, On August 29, MOFCOM stated that a preliminary assessment had highlighted, according to Beijing, that brandy imported from the EU involved a dumping situation, concluding that the domestic brandy industry would be under substantial threat. of damage. In January, China launched an investigation into brandy imported from the European Union, after Brussels launched an investigation into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles.
Beijing’s anti-dumping probe is seen as a retaliatory measure after the European Commission adopted a regulation in October imposing additional customs duties on electric cars imported from China, which it accuses of unfair competition. A measure that had the strong support of France.
As reported by the French media, in France, the interprofessional cognac association believes it has been “sacrificed” by the government for the benefit of the auto industry. A French diplomatic source strongly denounced these Chinese measures at the end of October, the “political nature of which is evident”.
The imposition of customs surcharges on cognac could have devastating effects on the sector and block this product’s access to the Chinese market. “We are ready to take all possible technical and legal measures” if necessary, the French Foreign Trade Minister said last week, Sophie Primasduring a visit to China. However, he stressed that negotiations with Beijing on cognac remained “clearly open”.
[a cura di Simone Cantarini]
