Chinese authorities launched the probe into European pork imports last year during scrutiny by Brussels of Beijing’s state subsidies for the domestic electric vehicle industry (Pedro PARDO)
China said Friday it would impose temporary anti-dumping duties on European Union pork imports, delivering another blow to shaky ties between the economic powerhouses as Brussels vowed to protect its producers.
The two sides have navigated a challenging relationship in recent years, complicated greatly by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Chinese authorities launched the probe into European pork imports last year during scrutiny by Brussels of Beijing’s state subsidies for the domestic electric vehicle industry.
The investigation has “preliminarily determined that imports of relevant pork and pig by-products originating in the European Union are being dumped”, a statement from China’s commerce ministry said.
Authorities have decided to implement “provisional anti-dumping measures in the form of deposits”, it added.
The European Commission described the allegations as “questionable”.
“I can categorically assure you that we will take all the necessary steps to defend our producers,” commission spokesman Olof Gill told a press conference.
The import duties range from 15.6 percent to 62.4 percent and will enter into force on September 10, the Chinese ministry of commerce said.
The provisional measures are still subject to its investigation, which had already been extended until December.
China — the world’s leading consumer of pork — imported 4.3 billion yuan ($604.3 million) in pork products from major European producer Spain alone last year, according to official Chinese customs data.
France, meanwhile, exported 115,000 tonnes of pork to China in 2024, according to industry association Inaporc.
“China is our top export market — we export parts not consumed in Europe, such as feet and ears,” Anne Richard, director of Inaporc, told AFP.
Richard denied the dumping allegations and said the probe was “retaliatory”.
“In fact, the prices of our pork feet are higher than if we sold them in Europe,” she said.
– Testy relations –
Beijing’s move comes on the heels of a diplomatic blitz that saw President Xi Jinping meet face-to-face with several prominent adversaries of Western governments, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas on Wednesday criticised the three leaders’ joint appearance at a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II as “a direct challenge to the international system built on rules”.
The statement by Kallas drew choice words from a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, who said Thursday that “remarks made by a certain EU official are full of ideological bias”.
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