France demands emergency EU summit over China's wine tax threat The Chinese move targets France and other wine producers, which all happen to be countries that supported the commission's tariffs on Chinese solar panels despite opposition from Germany, Britain and 16 other exporting or free-trade supporting countries. French wine exports account for 71pc of the European wines imported by the Chinese, a fast-growing market among China's burgeoning middle classes for France, a country that is currently struggling to export goods. In an added twist, Karel de Gucht, the EU trade commissioner who took the decision to hit China with the solar panel levies, is himself a wine producer with a €1m stake in a Tuscan vineyard that produces Chianti. Mr De Gucht's "La Macinaia" has benefited from a €1,500 EU farm subsidy "for the services of a consultant on biodynamic winery" but in 2011 still incurred a loss of more than €145,000 despite selling its bottles of wine for €22.49 to Belgian retailers. "There are no exports to China," said his spokesman. On Tuesday, the Commission used EU trade defence powers to unilaterally impose an immediate tariff of 11.8pc, rising by another 35.8pc unless Beijing agrees to increase the prices of solar panels that Brussels believes benefit from unfair Chinese subsidies. Italy and Spain, which both supported the solar panel tariffs along with France, will have exports worth €77m and €89m potentially covered by any Chinese retaliatory measures against European wines. Fuelling the suspicion that France has been singled out for supporting the solar panel levies, diplomats have noted that China's Hong Kong territory is exempt from the Chinese investigation "presumably because British companies export European wines there," according to officials, a trade worth €213m. The French trade ministry condemned the Chinese threat and warned of an escalating trade war if Beijing did not follow World Trade Organisation rules procedures. "We believe there is not dumping of European wine on the Chinese market," said a spokesman. Other EU officials have observed that targeting European wines with higher import duties would damage the lifestyles of China's most rich and powerful.