China will slap tariffs up to 42.7% on dairy products from the European Union, including milk and cheese from the region.
The elevated tariffs will be collected from Tuesday and range from 21.9% to 42.7% and were based on preliminary results from an investigation opened by China’s Commerce Ministry.
According to the country's commerce ministry, EU subsidies caused “substantial damage” to China's domestic dairy industry.
This comes as tensions between Beijing and Brussels intensify after Brussels slapped tariffs of up to 45% on electric vehicles imported from China in October last year
Most companies will pay just under 30% with the tariffs targeting unsweetened milk and cream and fresh processed cheese, including the iconic French Roquefort and Camembert.
An EU spokesperson said the dairy tariffs were "unjustified and unwarranted”, according to Reuters, and said the European Commission would be providing comments to the Chinese authorities.
This follows China significantly lowering EU pork tariffs to 4.9% to 19.8% from the up to 62.4% that they were previously hit with in October last year.
