China said on Friday, September 5, that 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 a 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."
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% to 62.4% 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.
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 criticized 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."
Much to the chagrin of EU leaders, Beijing has never denounced Russia's war in Ukraine nor called for it to withdraw its troops. Many of Ukraine's allies believe that China has provided support to Moscow. China insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.
Recent years have seen entrenched political disagreements between Beijing and Brussels threaten their strong economic relationship. The current trade spat erupted last summer when the EU moved towards imposing hefty tariffs on EVs imported from China, arguing that Beijing's subsidies were unfairly undercutting European competitors. Beijing denied that claim and announced what were widely seen as retaliatory probes into imported European pork, brandy and dairy products.