According to a report by Reuters, the French spirits lobbying group announced on Tuesday that France and China have resumed dialogue regarding the issue of brandy tariffs. The group stated in a release that recent communications between French and Chinese authorities during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai have helped restart discussions, marking a necessary beginning to finding a solution.
At a regular press conference held by China’s Ministry of Commerce on November 14, a Reuters journalist inquired whether the resumption of dialogue between China and France indicates a warming of economic and trade relations between the two countries. The journalist also asked if France, being the guest of honor at this year’s import expo, suggests a potential easing of tariff issues.
In response, He Yongqian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, stated that on November 3, during the preparation for the seventh China International Import Expo, Minister Wang Wentao met with the French Minister of Foreign Trade, who was invited to participate in the expo. They engaged in in-depth discussions about recent Sino-French economic and trade cooperation and related China-EU trade remedy cases.
He noted, “This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France and the 20th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership. France is once again the guest of honor at the import expo, with over 100 French companies participating, the highest number among EU countries. This fully demonstrates the importance that French companies place on the Chinese market. We welcome more French enterprises to use platforms like the import expo and consumption expo to promote high-quality French products in China.”
On November 11, the Ministry of Commerce issued a supplementary announcement regarding the temporary anti-dumping measures on imported brandy originating from the European Union. According to Articles 28 and 29 of the Anti-Dumping Regulations, the investigating authority decided to implement temporary anti-dumping measures in the form of guarantees or letters of credit. Starting from November 15, import operators must provide corresponding guarantees or letters of credit to Chinese customs based on the announced guarantee ratios for each company when importing the investigated products. The new announcement introduces the option of using letters of credit, which was not included in the previous announcement on October 8. The French spirits lobbying group stated that they view the Chinese side’s allowance of simpler letters of credit as a “positive initial response.” (Wu Ming)