The European Union’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles has moved the focus to how and when Beijing will retaliate for the escalation in its biggest trade dispute with the bloc in years.

Beijing has previously threatened tariffs on EU brandy imports and launched investigations into pork and dairy products in response to the tariffs

The European Commission's decision to press ahead with tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles threatens to undermine decades of cooperation between China and the EU, and endangers climate-change goals,