On Monday, the European Commission formally initiated a dispute procedure with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against China.
China targeted European brandy after the European Union had previously imposed import duties on Chinese electric vehicles. According to the EU, these Chinese measures breach international trade rules.
According to the European Commission, China has not sufficiently demonstrated that there is a threat of damage to the Chinese brandy industry. The link between the alleged threat and European imports has also not been proven.
“The EU takes any unfair use of trade defence measures very seriously,” says European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis. “With this step, we are fulfilling our promise to protect our industry against unfounded accusations.”