China launches anti-dumping probes into EU wines

The Ministry of Commerce announced on Monday that it will launch anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigations on wines imported from the European Union effective July 1. The investigations will be completed within a year.

The decision comes as the China Alcoholic Drinks Association proposed an investigation on EU red wines on behalf of domestic producers in May, complaining that the domestic industry has been harmed due to EU's unfair subsidizing behavior.

China is one of the most important wine export destinations of the EU. A survey from China International Capital Corporation Limited shows that 69 percent of imported red wines in the Chinese market in 2012 were from Europe, and the value of imports totaled nearly $1 billion last year.