French foreign minister says China is to delay conclusion of Cognac investigation

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese investigation which led to hefty preliminary import tariffs on French-made cognac and armagnac will conclude later than initially planned, France's foreign minister said during a trip to the country.

"Following this visit, I received confirmation that the investigation has been postponed by three months, which rules out the scenario of a sudden application of definitive law to this sector," Jean-Noel Barrot told journalists.

China imposed temporary anti-dumping measures on imports of brandy from the EU after the 27-state bloc voted for tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), heavily hitting sales of cognac, a high-end brandy produced in western France.

The step heavily impacted the French cognac industry at a time when it is also grappling with similar trade tensions with the United States. China and the United States are the cognac industry's most important export markets.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel and Ryan Woo; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)