Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

China's Foreign Ministry on Monday said that China is ready to provide an open, inclusive, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for EU and other international businesses that trade and invest in China. This has been our position all along and has not changed.

The remarks, made by the ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning in a routine press briefing, came in response to a media question regarding the possible connection between China's recent anti-dumping investigation of EU brandy and the EU's investigation of Chinese electric vehicles. 

Mao referred the media outlet to China's competent authorities for specific questions. Mao said that China is committed to high-standard opening- up and the principles of market economy and the WTO rules.
 
Observers noted that the anti-dumping move is reasonable and implemented in line with WTO rules, aiming to protect the rights and interests of the domestic industry and involved enterprises. 

The remarks made by the Foreign Ministry further indicate that the country's anti-dumping investigation against the EU is justified. It is based on WTO rules and aims to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese industries, Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said on Monday. 

The anti-dumping investigation conducted by relevant Chinese departments is part of the correct and normal procedure after receiving applications from the industry association, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Monday.  

China on Friday started an anti-dumping investigation into brandy imported from the EU following a request from the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) on behalf of the domestic industry, according to a statement by China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

According to the filing of the CADA, which was attached at the MOFCOM statement, preliminary evidence showed that EU brandy exports to China display obvious dumping behavior, with an initial estimate of a dumping margin of 15.88 percent.

The anti-dumping probe will look at EU-produced brandy in containers holding less than 200 liters imported from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. The MOFCOM will also investigate any damage done to the Chinese brandy industry from January. 1, 2019 to September 30, 2023, read the statement. 

The probe is expected to end by January 5, 2025 but may be extended for half a year under special circumstances.

Experts also refuted the anti-dumping practice as a "counter-strike" to the EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicle (EV) exports, as hyped by some Western media outlets.  

Li noted that the negative associations made by foreign media are misleading. China-Europe trade is a typical example of complementarity, and its normal development can provide benefits for both markets, He said. 

The trade relationship between China and the EU has always been close, but it has also faced some challenges under pressure from the US. It is hoped that the EU can act in accordance with the rules of the WTO and promote mutually beneficial cooperation with China, Bai told the Global Times on Monday. 

The EU formally launched an anti-subsidy investigation into imports of battery electric vehicles (BEV) from China on October 4, 2023, which will first determine whether BEV value chains in China benefit from illegal subsidies and whether this causes or threatens to cause economic injury to EU BEV producers, the bloc said in a statement on its website. 

The investigation was announced in September, and Chinese experts and industry insiders said that it was biased and showed a protectionist tendency.