\n<\/p>\n
China will not conclude its anti-dumping investigation into EU dairy imports until at least early next year as talks are set to continue in September.<\/p>\n
In response to China\u2019s decision this week to extend its probe to February, the European Dairy Association (EDA) said it was not surprised by the decision given Chinese officials are due to make \u201ctechnical visits\u201d to Belgium and the Netherlands next month, as well as hold talks with the European Commission (EC).<\/p>\n
China kicked off its investigation in August last year to ascertain whether the EU was guilty of exporting dairy products to the Asian country at prices that put local producers at an unfair advantage. The probe followed similar enquiries launched by China for pork and brandy shipped from the European trading bloc that commenced in June and January of 2024, respectively.<\/p>\n
The trade spat with China was sparked by the EU threatening to impose tariffs on imports of Chinese battery electric vehicles (BEV), with the EC claiming \u201cunfair subsidisation\u201d by its Chinese counterparts that risked \u201ccausing a threat of economic injury\u201d to local manufacturers.<\/p>\n
Xinhua<\/em>, China\u2019s state-run news agency and official government mouthpiece, reported on Monday (18 August) that the Ministry of Commerce had extended its investigation into \u2018certain dairy products\u2019 from the EU to February<\/p>\n The news service, citing a Ministry statement, said the extension was due to the \u2018complexity of the case\u2019.<\/p>\n Similar language emerged from the EDA. Its Secretary General Alexander Anton said in a statement: \u201cThis highlights the increasingly complex dynamics of global dairy trade and has required coordinated responses from the industry and policymakers, and EDA will continue to work closely with the EU Commission and the \u2018sampled\u2019 dairies that are most involved in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n