With the publication today of MOFCOM Announcement No. 9/2026, the Chinese authorities have confirmed the maintenance of the additional import tariffs (“countervailing duties”) previously published at the end of January 2026, European Dairy Association EDA reports.
Following constructive engagement with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the initial tariff level of 42.7% was reduced to 11.7%. While this significant reduction reflects the strength and substance of the arguments presented by the competent EU Commission services, the three sampled companies and the European Dairy Association (EDA), we regret that the further technical assessment and calculation based arguments shared in recent weeks were not taken into account in the final determination.

The general additional tariff of 11.7%, as well as the individual company-specific tariffs ranging between 7.4% and 11.7%, remain unchanged. These measures will enter into force on 13 February 2026 and will remain in place for a period of five years. The “countervailing duties” are applied on top of the existing “normal” import tariffs, which are about 8% on cream and 15% on cheese.
The European Union currently exports approximately 30,000 tonnes of cheese and 100,000 tonnes of cream annually to China. These exports already operate in a highly competitive market environment, particularly as other exporting countries benefit from Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with China. The additional tariffs will therefore significantly curb European dairy exports to the Chinese market.
This development once again underlines the importance of the European Commission’s efforts to conclude comprehensive Free Trade Agreements that ensure stable and predictable trade relationships for European exporters.