NEWS
CHINA THREATENS RETALIATORY TARIFFS ON EU WINES IN ESCALATING TRADE DISPUTE
By Staff Reporter
13-2-2026
Source: Doubao
China could launch investigations into French wines or impose "reciprocal tariffs" on EU products if the French government pushes for tariffs on Chinese goods, a social media account affiliated with Chinese broadcaster CCTV said on Wednesday.
The threat is in direct response to a French government strategy report published on Monday, urging the EU to consider an unprecedented 30 percent across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods, or a 30 percent depreciation of the Euro against the Renminbi to counter a surge of cheap imports.
Beijing has described the EU’s tariff plan as “unilateral, protectionist and in violation of WTO principles,” warning that Brussels will “bear all consequences” if the measures take effect.
European wine, one of the most politically symbolic and economically sensitive EU exports to China, has emerged as the primary target of potential retaliation.
China stands as the EU’s third-largest wine export market by value, with shipments reaching more than USD680 million in 2025, according to European Commission data.
French wine accounts for nearly 50 percent of those exports, with premium segments including Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne heavily reliant on Chinese consumer demand.
The threat extends a recent pattern of trade friction between China and the EU over alcoholic beverages.
In July 2025, Beijing implemented definitive anti-dumping duties ranging up to 34.9 percent on EU-produced brandy, a measure that remains in force for the next five years.
The latest warning broadens the risk to still wines, a far larger and more widely traded category.
European wine industry groups have reacted with alarm, warning that retaliatory tariffs would devastate thousands of small-scale growers and exporters across the bloc, not just in France.
Chinese officials maintained the retaliatory measures remain “preventive and conditional,” and that Beijing remains open to negotiation to resolve the dispute through diplomatic channels.
However, no formal talks have been scheduled, and both sides appear to be hardening their positions ahead of the EU’s expected final vote on its tariff package in the coming weeks.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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