The Diplomat The Chinese Ministry of Commerce yesterday announced an anti-dumping investigation against certain imports of pork and pork derivatives from the European Union, which may especially affect Spain, the main exporter, among the 27, of this product to the Asian country. Beijing adopts the measure in an anticipated response to the tariffs imposed by Brussels on Chinese electric vehicles, seeking, according to analysts, for the retaliation to focus on the countries considered to be the promoters of these tariffs, among which is Spain. As indicated by the Ministry of Commerce on its website, the request to investigate imports of European pork to China was presented on the 6th by the Chinese Livestock Association. The investigations will focus on products imported in 2023 and the 'damage' that these purchases caused to the Chinese sector between 2020 and 2023. In the process, products such as pork or offal, both refrigerated and frozen, will be reviewed, as well as fat from that animal and derivatives of it or viscera, indicates the statement, which points out that the investigation that began this Monday will last for a year. with the option to extend it for another six additional months "under special circumstances." In a separate statement, the head of the office in charge of the investigation assured that the investigations "will be carried out in accordance with the law and will fully protect the rights of all those involved," also stating that any decision made after knowing their results will be "objective and fair." At the end of May, weeks before the date on which Brussels was expected to announce the tariffs on electricity, the official Chinese press advanced the possibility that some companies would request this investigation, and last Friday confirmed that this had been officially presented. petition. A day earlier, Commerce spokesman He Yadong had limited himself to ensuring that Chinese industries "have the right to submit an investigation request" on imports from Europe of pork and also dairy products. "If the conditions to present a case are met, the investigating authority will initiate the presentation procedure and will announce it publicly," said the spokesperson, who assured that this initiative would comply with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and that falls within the right of Chinese companies to "protect the normal order of competition in the market." Last Wednesday, the European Commission announced additional tariffs of 21% on average on the import of electric vehicles from China as a conclusion to an anti-subsidy investigation launched in October last year. In 2023, according to data cited by the Interporc pork association, Spain exported more than 560,000 tons of pork products to China worth 1,223 million euros, which made the Asian country the destination of 20.33% of foreign sales of pork, bringing together 13.7% of the total value. China's purchases from Spain are above the volume it buys from the United States, Brazil, the Netherlands and Canada. This sector is key for agri-food exports from Spain to China: 61% of the turnover that the Iberian country obtains in this sense comes from the sale of pork, followed by beverages and oil -mainly olive oil-. , according to official data. "Agricultural tariffs, such as those directed against French brandy or Spanish pork, could be a punishment for the two main promoters (Paris and Madrid) of research into electricity," said the consulting firm Trivium China yesterday, which anticipated that Beijing would give a "selective" response to tariffs both geographically and in affected sectors. "China does not want a trade war with Europe," says that firm, in reference to the opposition of countries like Germany to tariffs on electricity.Among other possible retaliations, the official Chinese press has recently advanced a plan to raise the taxes imposed on the import of sedans and SUVs (SUVs) with engines larger than 2.5 liters to up to 25%. After learning of Beijing's announcement, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, expressed his disappointment and indicated that "there is room for understanding," because "they are not yet punitive measures." For his part, the president of the Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA), Pedro Barato stated: I always have hope, and the hope is that China is a very big country, China needs a lot of food, and I hope that the consequences will be "Others pay, but not the agri-food sector."
