China opens anti-dumping probe into imported pork, by-products from EU

FILE PHOTO: A pork vendor attends to a customer at a morning market in Beijing, China August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

BEIJING (Reuters) -China's commerce ministry said on Monday it has opened an anti-dumping investigation into imported pork and its by-products from the European Union, escalating tensions after the bloc imposed anti-subsidy duties on Chinese-made electric cars.

The investigation will begin on June 17, the ministry said, and was prompted by a complaint submitted by the China Animal Husbandry Association on June 6.

Following the European Commission's June 12 announcement that it would impose extra duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese cars from July, global food companies have been on high alert for retaliatory tariffs from China, owing to reports in the country's state media.

The investigation will focus on fresh, cold, frozen and dried pork intended for human consumption, the report said.

The state-backed Global Times newspaper earlier this month reported that Chinese companies planned to ask authorities to open an anti-dumping investigation into some European pork products and an anti-subsidy investigation into some dairy exports from the EU, citing an unidentified "business insider."

Chinese authorities have previously dropped hints about possible retaliatory measures through state media commentaries and interviews with industry figures.

The commerce ministry said that the investigation should be completed by June 17, 2025, but could be extended by another six months if required.

(Reporting by Joe Cash, Albee Zhang and Ella Cao; Editing by Bernadette Baum)