MOFCOM to hold hearing on dumping of EU brandy

China's Commerce Ministry (MOFCOM) plans to hold a hearing on July 18 into the anti-dumping investigation on brandy imported from the EU. Chinese observers said this shows that China's investigation strictly conforms to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, whereas the case has no relation to the EU's anti-dumping tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). In January, China launched an anti-dumping investigation into brandy imported from the EU following a request from the China Alcoholic Drinks Association on behalf of the domestic industry. In response to the application of involved parties including Martell, Société Jas Hennessy and E. Remy Martin, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) will hold a hearing on July 18 in line with related laws and regulations in a bid to ensure the fairness and transparency of the investigation process, the Ministry said in a statement published on its website.

“By holding the hearing, MOFCOM will obtain more information about whether EU brandy companies have been dumping in the China market so as to decide whether to take follow-up actions,” Zhou Mi, Senior Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times. China's anti-dumping investigation into brandy neither targets any specific EU member state nor carries predefined findings, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said when meeting with three French brandy trade associations and five brandy producers in Paris in April. China will conduct the investigation openly and transparently in accordance with Chinese law and WTO rules, while fully safeguarding the rights of all stakeholders, Wang stressed. The anti-dumping probe will examine EU-produced brandy in containers holding less than 200 liters imported from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. The probe is expected to end before January 5, 2025, but may be extended for half a year under special circumstances, according to a previous statement from MOFCOM, the Global Times reports.