European Union governments broke a long-running deadlock Tuesday to reach an agreement that will allow higher tariffs to be imposed on cheap imports of some raw materials, in an effort to better defend the bloc from trade practices they deem unfair. According to The Wall Street Journal, the move comes as the EU is looking for ways to protect its industries from competition from China, which earlier this week challenged the EU at the World Trade Organization over how it calculates punitive duties. Under the agreement Tuesday, the EU will be able to impose higher duties on some raw materials. The agreement is part of an effort by the bloc to bolster its trade defenses in light of a trade spat with China. EU industries say Chinese companies are dumping products in the bloc’s markets at excessively low prices.
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