China to expand list of countries to pay tariffs on sugar imports from August 1

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Commerce Ministry said on Monday it will expand the list of countries which must pay extra tariffs on sugar imports starting from Aug. 1, just over a year after introducing hefty penalties on top growers including Brazil and Thailand.

In May last year, the government hit major exporting nations with penalties on sugar imports after years of lobbying from domestic mills, but exempted 190 smaller producing countries and regions, mostly in Southeast Asia and South America, like El Salvador and the Philippines.

(Reporting by Josephine Mason, Dominique Patton and Hallie Gu; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)