Recently, China's Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao, chaired a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, with Chinese and European companies involved in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. The discussion focused on resolving the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese EVs and deepening the cooperation between the Chinese and European EV industry chains.
The meeting was attended by Li Chenggang, China's Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Fei Shengchao, China's Ambassador to Belgium, Zhu Jing, Chargé d'Affaires of China's Mission to the EU, and representatives from nearly thirty Chinese and European electric vehicle, battery, and auto parts companies, as well as industry associations.
Wang Wentao emphasized that cooperation is crucial for the development of the automotive industries in China and the EU. Over the past 40 years, this cooperation has been fruitful and deeply intertwined, creating a symbiotic relationship. European companies have thrived in China, driving the development of China's automotive supply chain, while China has provided European businesses with an open market and a fair competitive environment. The most notable feature of this 40-year partnership has been cooperation, with competition serving as a valuable experience, and fairness forming the foundation.
Wang pointed out that in response to the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese EVs, China will continue negotiations until the very last moment. The legitimacy, compliance, and fairness of the EU's investigation have been widely questioned. Such actions will not only hinder China-EU automotive cooperation and damage Chinese companies' confidence in investing in Europe, but also severely impact global efforts to combat climate change and undermine the multilateral trade order based on World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Wang emphasized that the China-EU automotive industry is at a critical crossroads, and open cooperation is the best choice. The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China's third plenary session highlighted that openness is a distinctive mark of Chinese modernization. China has developed through reform and opening up and will never close its doors again. The Chinese government firmly supports cooperation between Chinese and European companies, opposes "decoupling and supply chain disruptions," and is committed to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of both Chinese companies and EU companies operating in China.
The participants at the meeting stated that there is vast potential for cooperation between the China-EU EV supply chain. European companies are not afraid of competition, do not need tariff protection, oppose trade protectionism, support free trade, open markets, and fair competition. They urged companies in the China-EU automotive supply chain to seize opportunities to deepen cooperation and expressed their hope that both sides would resolve the anti-subsidy investigation through dialogue and negotiations to prevent trade friction from escalating out of control, thereby fostering a fair environment for industrial cooperation.
The European Commission is considering imposing a final tariff of up to 35.3% on Chinese electric vehicles, in addition to the standard 10% tariff on imported cars.
On September 12, a European Commission spokesperson stated that the price commitment proposals submitted by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products and all EV manufacturers did not meet the requirements, and the EU plans to reject the price commitment applications.
On September 17, Wang Wentao met with Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of the German Chancellery, in Berlin, where the two sides discussed the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese EVs in depth. Schmidt expressed that Germany strongly hopes that China and the EU can resolve the EV issue through dialogue and negotiations, reaffirming that imposing tariffs is not the solution, and noted that Germany has communicated this position with the European Commission multiple times. He added that the comprehensive solution proposed by the Chinese industry offers a good basis for reaching a consensus. Germany will continue to work with the European Commission to help resolve the issue.
Previously, sources revealed that the EU plans to hold a vote on whether to impose final tariffs on imported Chinese EVs on September 25. Unless 15 EU member states (representing 65% of the EU population) vote against the measure, the path will be cleared for final tariffs to be imposed starting in November. However, sources noted that the voting date could still change.
