Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – China has urged the EU Commission to take concrete steps to “implement its political will and get back to the right track of resolving trade frictions via consultations,” a spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said.
Chinese news agency CGTN reported that the statements came after the commission’s recommendation to impose absolute countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles from China had obtained the necessary approval from Member States of the European Union (EU) for the adoption of tariffs.
What steps is China urging the EU to take?
“China firmly opposes the draft final ruling of the EU side, but has also noted its political will to continue to resolve the issue through negotiations,” stated the spokesperson, stating that technical teams from both sides will persist with their talks on Oct. 7.
The ministry insisted the EU side be aware of the harm of inflicting additional tariffs, as it will not solve any concerns but only waver Chinese enterprises’ confidence and resolve in and stop them from conducting investing cooperation in Europe.
“China’s position is consistent and clear. China firmly opposes the unfair, illegal and unreasonable protectionist practices of EU in this case, and resolutely opposes the EU additional countervailing duty on Chinese electric vehicles,” stated the spokesperson.
What is the role of the China Chamber of Commerce?
The Brussels-based China Chamber of Commerce also urged the 27-member bloc to operate prudently by hindering the tariffs and to concentrate on resolving disputes and differences through discussions. The vote to inflict tariffs of up to 45 percent on top of existing import duties follows an EU anti-subsidy examination that concluded EV imports from China were affecting the European market.
The anti-subsidy probe first appeared in the EU’s State of the Union address in September last year, which carried doubt of politicization. The launch of the investigation from start to end was not based on the reported damages by the auto industry, but on speculation, which is a typical practice of trade protectionism.
