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France calls meet over China’s EU wine probe
June 6, 2013, 4:12 am

[Getty Images]

French President Francois Hollande [Getty Images]

French President Francois Hollande has called on his European partners to hold a meeting to find a common front on trade talks with China following its anti-dumping probe on European wine imports, a government official said Wednesday.

France is Europe’s biggest supplier of wine to China.

According to Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the government’s spokeswoman, Hollande called the 27 members of the European bloc to meet and to come out with “a consolidated point of view” on China’s decision to launch a probe into sales of European wine.

Local media said the French trade ministry has taken China’s decision “very seriously” which it said was “inappropriate and reprehensible.”

The ministry’s officials were not immediately available to comment.

On Wednesday, China announced an anti-dumping probe on the European wine in response to the EU’s decision to impose punitive tariffs on imports of Chinese solar panels, a move that would hit European wine exports mainly Paris’ sales.

According to the FEVS producers’ federation, China represents the third biggest market for French wines and spirits by value, or nine per cent of the country’s total sales abroad.

German economic minister Philipp Rösler has called the EU decision to impose punitive fines on China’s solar products as “a serious mistake”.

Source: Agencies