China’s decision to investigate expensive French liquor for dumping could be the start of an extended tit-for-tat trade dispute with the European Union, analysts warn. Beijing has often targeted bilateral trade as a tried-and-tested method to express its displeasure–and in most cases, they say, the tactic helps Beijing get what it wants.
“This is the first bullet the Chinese will shoot,” says Francois Chimits, an analyst at Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies, referring to Beijing’s anti-dumping probe into brandy.
