French cheese lined up in a store in Paris.
Bertrand Guay | AFP | Getty Images
China announced on Monday that it would impose tariffs of up to 42.7% on dairy products from the European Union (EU) following the results of an anti-subsidy investigation that began in August 2024.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that EU dairy subsidies are causing “serious damage” to China’s domestic dairy industry.
The ministry said the tariffs are scheduled to take effect on April 23, and the tax rate will be determined by the amount of the “ad valorem subsidy rate” from the Customs Commission.
The tariffs will range from 21.9% to 42.7%, with a 28.6% tariff applied to companies that “cooperated with the investigation” and a top rate of 42.7% applied to companies that “did not cooperate,” Commerce Department officials said.
Products subject to tariffs include fresh and processed cheese, as well as some milk and cream.
Last week, the Chinese government significantly lowered tariffs on pork imports and pork by-products from the European Union, applying new tariffs ranging from 4.9% to 19.8% on dozens of pork exports from Europe.
In early September, China imposed temporary anti-dumping duties of up to 62.4% on pork imports from the EU in the form of cash deposits.
Separately, in November, the EU challenged China’s imposition of tariffs on EU brandy imports at the World Trade Organization, stating that “China’s interim measures on EU brandy are not consistent with WTO rules.”
Trade tensions escalated last October when the city of Brussels imposed tariffs of up to 45% on electric cars imported from China.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, could not be reached for comment.
—CNBC’s Anniek Bao contributed to this report.
