Three months after the European Commission began investigating Chinese imports of electric cars, Beijing has decided to open an investigation into alcohol produced in the European Union.
According to the Chinese authorities, there is suspicion that European producers are dumping their products, i.e. selling goods at an artificially low price on the Chinese market. The official reason for launching the investigation is a complaint from the China Alcohol Manufacturers Association.
Although China’s Ministry of Commerce has not named the specific countries or manufacturers against which the investigation will be launched, the focus is primarily on products of French origin.
Thus the Ministry describes the products under investigation as alcoholic beverages obtained from the distillation of wine. Thus, Cognac, Armagnac and other French brands would have come under investigation.
At the same time, the potential sanctions would not initially apply to Irish whiskey or Eastern European popcorn, or nalivka, because they are not made with wine.
According to Politico, this is China’s countermeasure to the EU’s investigation into Chinese electric car imports that began three months ago. According to the European Commission, Chinese subsidies to electric car manufacturers are unfair and Chinese vehicles are sold in Europe at less than their cost price.
Beijing denies China’s accusations and says China’s production of electric cars and batteries is growing thanks to decades of promoting innovation and low-cost access to domestic raw materials.
China has already threatened the EU with consequences for launching an investigation into electric cars. Beijing’s semi-covert investigation’s focus on French manufacturing may be due to a desire to punish Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been a major supporter of the European Commission’s investigation. France also financially supports its own domestic production of electric vehicles.
2024-01-05 12:01:00
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