France, March 30 -- Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has secured a temporary reprieve for French cognac makers during his visit to China, delaying additional customs duties for three months.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced a positive development for French distilleries this weekend, stating that China has agreed to delay the potential permanent application of additional customs duties on French cognacs for three months.

"This is a significant first step towards resolving this dispute," Barrot said during his visit to China.

Before arriving in Beijing on Friday, France's cognac industry faced the imminent and definitive application of duties following an antidumping investigation, which Paris contests. However, Barro...