EU Commission bewails 'unfair' Chinese Cognac duties
'China's measures are unfair, we believe they are unjustified, we believe they are inconsistent with the applicable international rule and are thus unfounded,' Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said on Friday.
The Asian giant has announced anti-dumping duties of up to 34,9% over EU brandy for a period of five years starting from 5 July 2025, sparing some of the largest EU Cognac producers which had made minimum price commitments, such as Remy Cointreau, Pernod Ricard and LVMH's Hennessy.
The Chinese launched an investigation into brandy last year in retaliation for tariffs imposed by the EU on Chinese electric vehicles. It was followed by the announcement of several other investigations into EU pork and dairy products, which have not yet been closed.
Anti-dumping duties were also imposed in May on some EU industrial plastics.
Gill added that the duties on EU brandy were 'part of a worrying pattern of China abusing trade defence instruments, starting and conducting investigations on the basis of questionable allegations and insufficient evidence, all this within a short period of time.'
This blow to EU brandy comes as some media report that China has cancelled the second day of the EU-China summit scheduled for 24 and 25 July.
The Commission's chief spokesperson Paula Pinho refused to confirm the cancellation, arguing that the summit's agenda 'has not been agreed yet' by the EU and China.
Points of contention are increasing between the two, despite hopes for a diplomatic reset born of the jeopardy both sides face in the face of an ongoing tariff dispute with the US.
The South China Morning Post reported on Friday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas it did not want to see a Russian loss in Ukraine because it feared the US would then shift its whole focus to Beijing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
EU Commission bewails 'unfair' Chinese Cognac duties
China's imposition of anti-dumping duties on European Cognac is "unfair" and "unjustified", a European Commission spokesperson said on Friday, underscoring a downtick in relations ahead of an EU-China summit scheduled for the end of July. 'China's measures are unfair, we believe they are unjustified, we believe they are inconsistent with the applicable international rule and are thus unfounded,' Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said on Friday. The Asian giant has announced anti-dumping duties of up to 34,9% over EU brandy for a period of five years starting from 5 July 2025, sparing some of the largest EU Cognac producers which had made minimum price commitments, such as Remy Cointreau, Pernod Ricard and LVMH's Hennessy. The Chinese launched an investigation into brandy last year in retaliation for tariffs imposed by the EU on Chinese electric vehicles. It was followed by the announcement of several other investigations into EU pork and dairy products, which have not yet been closed. Anti-dumping duties were also imposed in May on some EU industrial plastics. Gill added that the duties on EU brandy were 'part of a worrying pattern of China abusing trade defence instruments, starting and conducting investigations on the basis of questionable allegations and insufficient evidence, all this within a short period of time.' This blow to EU brandy comes as some media report that China has cancelled the second day of the EU-China summit scheduled for 24 and 25 July. The Commission's chief spokesperson Paula Pinho refused to confirm the cancellation, arguing that the summit's agenda 'has not been agreed yet' by the EU and China. Points of contention are increasing between the two, despite hopes for a diplomatic reset born of the jeopardy both sides face in the face of an ongoing tariff dispute with the US. The South China Morning Post reported on Friday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas it did not want to see a Russian loss in Ukraine because it feared the US would then shift its whole focus to Beijing.
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
Germany sees 50% decline in asylum application in first half of 2025
According to reports by German media outlets, the number of asylum applications in Germany fell significantly in the first six months of 2025 in comparison with figures from the same time period last year. German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported that a total of 65,495 applications were submitted between 1 January and 30 June, citing previously unpublished data from the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA) - a decrease of 43% year-on-year. Another media outlet, BILD, reported that only 61,300 first-time applications for asylum were made in Germany in the first half of 2025. In June, the number of new applications was less than 7,000, a 60% decline from June 2024 numbers, and 70% from two years ago. The figure sets a new record for the lowest monthly applications submitted since March 2013. Germany no longer the top destination for asylum in Europe Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the Christian Social Union (CSU) sees the latest figures as confirmation of the effectiveness of his migration policy which has been regarded by many as controversial. In an interview with BILD, he noted the numbers indicate "clear successes of the migration turnaround" and emphasised that his ministry will continue to work to revamp the migration system "from head to toe". Christian Democratic Union (CDU) MEP and migration expert Lena Düpont also sees the declining figures as a major success. Speaking to German media, she noted that partnership agreements with key North African countries played a major role in reducing asylum figures. She also cited greater cooperation between third countries and the EU border protection agency Frontex as reasons behind this success. Europe-wide figures In the first half of 2025, Spain claimed the top spot for asylum application with the Iberian country recording just over 76,020 applications. France came in second, recording some 75,428, while Germany trailed in third place with 65,495 applications. Italy came in fourth with 62,534, then came Greece at 27,718 and Belgium recorded just over 17 thousand. On the lower end of the spectrum. Hungary, which endorses a notoriously strict immigration policy under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, received just 47 applications. Slovakia recorded 84 applications while Lithuania received 152. Countries of origin of asylum seekers in Germany and Europe According to the report, around 22% of asylum seekers in Germany were Afghan nationals, Syrians constituted around 20% of applicants while Turkish citizens made up 11% of applications received by Berlin. Russians made up the fifth largest nationality of asylum applicants, having submitted just over 3%. In total, close to 400,000 people applied for asylum in EU countries, Norway and Switzerland in the first half of this year. This is a decrease of around 23% from total figures of last year. On a continental level, the top three nationalities of applicants were Venezuelans, close to 50,000, Afghans with around 41,000 and Syrians with approximately 23,000.
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
China's first Legoland opens to tourists in Shanghai
The Chinese branch of the British-owned theme park franchise is the biggest Legoland in the world. It drew in early customers who flocked to attractions including a miniature train ride and a dragon-themed rollercoaster. "I personally love to play with Lego blocks and we have many sets at home... so I wanted to come to Legoland at the earliest opportunity," said Shi, a 35-year-old resident of nearby city Hangzhou, who was visiting the park with his wife and child. Despite the Chinese economy's sluggish growth in recent years, domestic tourist spending grew 18.6 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous year, according to statistics. "Ever since the pandemic, I've made very few trips abroad," said Shi, adding his family now travels to theme parks around China "many times a year". Eager Lego fans rushed into the park as soon as it opened, wearing themed shirts and waving branded flags as they enjoyed the 318,000-square-metre (78.5-acre) compound in scorching temperatures. Beijing has announced subsidies intended to make travelling within the country more affordable for Chinese citizens, and is pushing local governments to heavily market their attractions on social media. Companies have taken note of the wider local tourism boom and stepped up their plans in China. A new "Spider-Man" attraction at Shanghai Disneyland broke ground in May, while Warner Brothers is set to open a Harry Potter experience in Shanghai by 2027. Toy giant Hasbro said this week its giant Peppa Pig park in the city was now "in the phase of creative design". Chinese collectable toy maker Pop Mart has also opened an attraction in Beijing featuring life-sized versions of its popular Labubu toys. "The various provinces are putting a lot of effort into expanding their tourism industries, and all of them have special attractions," said Xu, a 34-year-old parent visiting Legoland on Saturday with his children. But profitability remains a problem, especially for local companies with less brand recognition. As of late 2024, around 40 percent of parks were still failing to turn a profit, according to state media reports. Yet analysts point to a growing population of retirees and job market changes as key factors pushing more locals to visit domestic attractions. "The labour market is turning more flexible," said Ernan Cui, China consumer analyst at Gavekal Research. © 2025 AFP
