INDUSTRY BACKLASH
European dairy teams additionally criticised the transfer. France’s FNIL described the duties as a “shock”.
Germany’s Dairy Business Affiliation mentioned the measures had been a “laborious blow” for affected corporations and urged all sides to not “inappropriately contain” dairy merchandise in what it described as an unrelated commerce dispute.
Based on European Fee information, EU international locations exported greater than €1.6 billion (US$1.9 billion) value of dairy merchandise to China final yr, down from a peak of simply over €2 billion in 2022.
The dairy duties come per week after Beijing imposed tariffs on EU pork imports for 5 years to counter alleged dumping, with charges starting from 4.9 per cent to 19.8 per cent.
ESCALATING SPAT
The dispute varieties a part of a broader commerce conflict between the EU and China that started in 2024, when Brussels moved to impose tariffs on Chinese language electrical automobiles, arguing that state subsidies unfairly undercut European producers.
China denied the allegations and launched investigations into European pork, brandy and dairy merchandise, extensively seen in Brussels as retaliatory.
Tensions have additionally flared over metal, uncommon earth exports and what many European governments see as an more and more unbalanced financial relationship. The EU ran a commerce deficit of greater than US$350 billion with China in 2024.
French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned this month that Europe might undertake sturdy measures, together with tariffs, if the imbalance just isn’t addressed. Alongside commerce, the EU and China stay divided over geopolitical points, together with Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
