The European Commission confirmed tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), according to Euractiv.
The Commission ended a consultation period launched last October to establish whether Beijing’s subsidies had undermined European competition. The duties exceed the current 10-per-cent tariff on imports of Chinese EVs.
A senior Commission official said the move was aimed at “sav[ing] the European car industry” from the way “Chinese imports have developed in the most recent period.” Another Commission source also defended the EU’s influence in engaging in individual discussions with carmakers to set a minimum selling price.
Since different undertaking offers were tabled by these individual exporters, the Commission in fact has the duty to analyse them on their own merits, meaning we cannot discriminate between undertaking offers tabled by different parties.
Last week, a Commission spokesman said that “significant remaining gaps” needed to be addressed after the eighth round of talks between EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. On Monday, China’s commerce ministry accused Brussels of trying to circumvent Beijing by negotiating with individual exporters.
According to the minutes of the Commission meeting, Dombrovskis reiterated “concerns about the ongoing Chinese anti-dumping case against brandy and the initiations on pork and dairy, which the EU side finds unsubstantiated.”
The measure is expected to lead to China confirming duties on European imports of dairy products and pork, adding to measures announced earlier this month on brandy imports.
