Market Insights
The EU-China trade relationship is under more structural pressure than at any point since China’s WTO accession in 2001. Between the EV anti-subsidy duties, the expanding CBAM carbon mechanism, the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, and multiple active anti-dumping investigations, European importers sourcing from China face a more complex tariff environment than their predecessors did five years ago.
Here is a practical breakdown of what is currently in force, what is on the horizon, and - crucially - what most of it does not affect for typical SME importers of consumer goods.
EV anti-subsidy duties (provisional - definitive): The most headline-grabbing measure. Duties of 17-35.3% on electric vehicles from China, in addition to the standard 10% MFN rate. Only directly relevant if you import EVs or, to a limited extent, certain EV-specific components. Negligible impact on consumer goods importers.
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): In definitive phase since September 2025, covering steel, aluminium, cement, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen. If you import steel or aluminium products from China - shelving, hardware, metal frames - your supplier must provide carbon content declarations. Importers who skip this face penalties from 2026 onwards. This is real and underappreciated by SMEs.
Stainless steel fasteners anti-dumping: Renewed March 2026. 12.5-87% additional duties depending on manufacturer. Affects hardware and industrial buyers, not general consumer goods.
There are no general tariff increases on Chinese consumer goods. Anti-dumping duties are product-specific. The MFN (most-favoured-nation) customs duty rate for most consumer goods categories - home goods, textiles, electronics, toys, kitchenware - has not changed as a result of the EU-China trade disputes. The headline trade war narrative overstates the direct duty impact for most SME importers.
The risk for consumer goods importers is primarily: (1) CBAM for metal-heavy products; (2) product-specific AD investigations that could affect your specific category in the next 12-24 months; (3) the operational complexity of documenting compliance with the Foreign Subsidies Regulation for new procurement.
1. Verify your HS codes. Anti-dumping measures and CBAM attach to specific HS tariff codes, not to broad categories. A product classified under the wrong HS code may accidentally trigger duties - or miss them entirely. Use the EU TARIC database to check every line item, particularly for metal or electronic products.
2. Request carbon content data from metal suppliers. If you import any steel or aluminium product, your supplier needs to provide CBAM-compliant carbon content data from their steel/aluminium supplier. Most Chinese factories do not know this yet. Start asking now - it takes 2-3 months for a factory to collect this data from their raw material suppliers.
3. Monitor the investigations list, not just live duties. Anti-dumping investigations begin 12-18 months before duties are imposed. The EU Commission publishes investigation initiations in the Official Journal. By the time duties are confirmed, it is often too late to adjust supply chains. Tracking active investigations lets you build alternative supply options before you are forced to.
SinoSource monthly reports include a tariff and trade policy update for each client’s product category, flagging active investigations and duty changes relevant to their sourcing. See our Tariff Tracker.
Use the tariff tracker and duty calculator to pressure-test the exact products you import.