The EU’s tariffs imposed on Chinese electric vehicles risk hitting dairy exports, which the Chinese will investigate further as a possible countermeasure, according to Reuters.

China has now responded by launching a probe into state subsidies for European dairy products in response to the EU’s plans to impose tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. This information is provided by Reuters (international news media), which states that the probe into state subsidies for imported European dairy products was announced on Wednesday by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. The probe – with focus on different types of cheeses, milk, and cream for human consumption – was launched following a complaint filed by the Dairy Association of China and the China Dairy Industry Association on July 29 on behalf of the Chinese dairy industry, the ministry states.

China will now investigate 20 subsidy schemes from the EU, especially from countries such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland, and Romania, Reuters informs.

Irland is the largest exporter of dairy products to China, among the countries mentioned, with sales of more than DKK 3 billion last year. Overall, the EU is the second largest supplier of dairy products to China after New Zealand and accounted for at least 36 percent of imports, according to Chinese customs data. In 2023, the EU exported dairy products to China for € 1.7 billion or DKK 12.6 billion, according to data from the European Commission.

According to the Dairy Statistics, Denmark’s exports of dairy products have fallen to DKK 1.019 billion in 2017. See the export figures HERE

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