China Hits EU Pork With up to 62 Percent Tariff, Escalating Trade Dispute

Sep 06, 2025 - 09:54

Updated: 8 months ago

China Hits EU Pork With up to 62 Percent Tariff, Escalating Trade Dispute

China has intensified its trade clash with Europe by slapping anti-dumping duties of up to 62.4 percent on European Union pork, in a move widely seen as retaliation for Brussels’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

The Commerce Ministry said on Sept. 5 it had reached a preliminary finding that EU pork and pig by-products are being dumped on the Chinese market, causing “material injury” to domestic producers. Provisional duties ranging from 15.6 to 62.4 percent will take effect on Sept. 10, with the investigation now extended until mid-December.

Beijing opened the pork probe in June 2024, just days after the EU imposed provisional tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs), concluding after an eight-month investigation that Chinese EVs benefit from “unfair subsidization” and pose “a threat of economic injury” to European manufacturers. The following month, China hit European brandy imports—particularly French cognac—with anti-dumping duties, though major producers were later exempted.

The trade fight has unfolded against a broader backdrop of rising global protectionism. Brussels’s EV tariffs followed a U.S. decision in May 2024 to quadruple duties on Chinese EVs to 100 percent. Beijing, for its part, has pushed Brussels to accept a price-commitment scheme from Chinese producers in lieu of tariffs, but talks have stalled.

China’s Commerce Ministry said on Sept. 5 that the pork investigation covers a wide range of products, from fresh and frozen cuts to intestines and other offal, with Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark among the hardest-hit exporters. A significant share of EU pork shipped to China consists of offal such as pig ears, noses, and feet—highly prized in Chinese cuisine but with few alternative markets.

The European Commission criticized the move, calling the investigation “based on questionable allegations and insufficient evidence.” A spokesperson added, “We will take all the necessary steps to defend our producers and industry.”

Anne Richard, director of French pork industry group Inaporc, called the announcement “worrying news,” warning of potential fallout for prices in Europe. The decision is preliminary and could still change when the probe concludes in December. China has, in past cases, extended such investigations even after tariffs were imposed, such as with Canadian canola.

China was the EU’s top pork buyer in 2020, when exports jumped to $7.9 billion amid a domestic supply crunch caused by swine disease. By 2023, however, sales had slumped to just $2.6 billion, with Spain accounting for almost half.

The clash also ties into China’s high-stakes green-energy ambitions. A decade ago, Beijing designated EVs as a strategic industry, and top leaders reiterated their focus on the sector at high-level meetings last year, calling it central to the “new productive forces.” With domestic demand weakening, Beijing has leaned more heavily on exports, fueling friction with its biggest trading partners.

Dorothy Li and Reuters contributed to this report.