Overview

• French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said on June 23 that negotiations with Beijing on anti-dumping duties for cognac and armagnac are in good shape.
• Discussions focus on setting minimum import prices that would raise costs by roughly 12–16% while remaining below Beijing’s initially proposed duties.
• France insists on three conditions for a final agreement: restoring duty-free sales, lifting and reimbursing guarantees, and ensuring equal treatment for all cognac producers.
• Current provisional measures require importers to post guarantees averaging 34.8%, with some brands facing individual levies of up to 39%.
• China accounts for about a quarter of France’s cognac exports and is due to announce its final anti-dumping conclusions by July 5.