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China said on Wednesday that it would prolong an anti-dumping probe into imports of EU brandy for three months, only days after France’s top diplomat obtained a respite on implementing additional customs taxes.
Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce announced in a statement on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, that the investigation had been prolonged until July 5 “due to the complexity of this case.”
European brandy shipments to China have been charged since October after the European Union placed tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese electric vehicles due to allegations of unfair competition.
French cognac producers, who depend on exports for 98% of their sales, have suffered as a result of the policy. The majority of brandies exported by the EU to China are cognac.
In February, the French cognac industry requested government assistance after claiming it was losing 50 million euros ($54 million) a month as a result of China’s antidumping tariffs.
China has agreed to put off the potential permanent implementation of higher customs taxes on French cognacs for three months, according to a statement made by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday.
Barrot called the action “a first step towards settling this dispute” while on a visit to China.
