EU-China "Consultations"
A few days ago, China's Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement announcing that it would conduct an anti-dumping investigation on imports of pork and pig by-products originating in the European Union with immediate effect. The person in charge of the Trade Remedy Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce said on the same day that the investigation was initiated at the request of the domestic industry. After receiving the application, the investigating authority examined the application in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of China and in accordance with the rules of the WTO, and decided to initiate an investigation if it found that the application met the conditions for filing an anti-dumping investigation.
As soon as this news was released, the responses of France and Germany were in stark contrast.
The French side is trying to "morally kidnap" China, and the French newspaper "Les Echos" said, "China is angry with the European Union, and European pork is the first to bear the brunt." The threat has been brewing for some time, and while China has explained it, it's hard not to link it to the EU's tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. ”
Germany is different, the German side feels that this is the EU's fault first, and the EU should not make member states pay for the EU's mistake. Germany's "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" mentioned in the report that unlike Europe, parts such as pig feet, pig ears and pig offal are very popular in China. The German Today Agricultural Network said on the 13th that China is the third largest export market for agricultural products in the European Union, with an export volume of nearly 15 billion euros, and it is no wonder that European farmers are increasingly worried. Simovich, senior trade policy adviser at European Farmers and Cooperatives, Europe's largest farmers' lobby group, said: "The European Commission must ensure that we do not pay for this dispute. We don't want to get caught up in the firefight. ”
It can only be said that France is too narrow-minded, and it is certain that China did not make this decision for the sake of retaliation.
For a long time, the EU has been China's largest source of pork and pig by-products, accounting for an average of 54% of China's total imports from 2020 to 2023. In 2023, the EU will dump more than 60% of its products on China, so much so that EU pork products can compete "viciously" with Chinese pork and pig by-products in the Chinese market at extremely low prices.
Not only that, the EU's pork production is over, with an average annual of 4.26 million tons, China, as the EU's largest importer, if it receives, there will be large subsidies, the larger the EU's pork exports, the more subsidies China will lose, not only loss subsidies, but also disrupt China's own market.
So why would China want to disrupt the local pork market in order to alleviate the EU's pork overcapacity?
Solve your own affairs, and the EU should go back to the root of the problem, and find who to find whom, instead of relying on China.
The U.S. conspiracy was shattered
The commercial problems of Central Europe have nothing to do with the United States, but the United States still has to stick its head out at this critical moment.
After China announced an anti-dumping investigation, Reuters reported that China imported $6 billion worth of pork (including offal) in 2023, more than half of which came from the European Union, with Spain alone accounting for about one-quarter, and other major EU exporting countries include the Netherlands, Denmark and France. In the application, the China Animal Husbandry Association listed a list of five EU-related production enterprises from Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark and France. Reuters believes that if China restricts imports, the EU pork industry will face a "nightmare".
Rabobank's global strategist for animal protein, Sherard, said, "EU exporters are likely to find alternative markets for the pig show meat currently being shipped to China, which will take time." But I doubt that the 'offal' that the EU is currently exporting to China will be able to find an alternative market. ”
First of all, again, China chose anti-dumping investigation in order to stabilize the domestic market; Second, China's anti-dumping investigations are open and transparent, and are conducted in accordance with relevant domestic laws. Finally, what does the business problem between China and the EU have to do with the United States? Why do you want to insert a needle when you see a seam?
As we all know, the EU has always listened to the words of the United States, where the United States pointed, the EU "hit", as reported by the United States and Western Europe, some time ago, at the request of the United States, the EU launched an anti-dumping investigation on China's electric vehicles, and almost decided to impose additional tariffs, and as high as 40%.
In fact, China really doesn't care so much, after all, when the EU production is not enough, it will still find a way to ease relations with China.
In the final analysis, the United States just wants to use the EU to create trouble for China and suppress China, but the United States and Europe did not expect that Biden could lift a stone to shoot himself in the foot again and again, and most importantly, every time he will affect others.