China Lodges WTO Challenge Against EU
Beijing has emphasized that Brussels needs to rectify its "wrong practices" to ensure continued stable cooperation between China and the EU. Read the full article at RT.com
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Last month, the EU imposed additional tariffs of between 17.4% and 37.6% on imports of Chinese EVs. These tariffs are in addition to the existing 10% duties and are justified by the EU on the grounds of "unfair subsidization" by Beijing to its auto manufacturers.
On Friday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce reported that it had resorted to the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism in an effort "to safeguard the development rights and interests of the electric vehicle industry and cooperation on the global green transformation."
The ministry criticized the EU’s initial decision on the tariffs, stating it "lacks factual and legal basis," "seriously violates WTO rules," and "undermines global cooperation on climate change."
"We urge the EU to immediately correct its wrong practices and jointly maintain the stability of China-EU economic and trade cooperation as well as EV industrial and supply chains," stated the Chinese ministry.
The EU's tariffs were introduced in early July following the European Commission's investigation that began last year into allegations that subsidized Chinese EVs are being sold significantly cheaper than those made within the EU. According to findings from the inquiry, the battery electric vehicles (BEV) “value chain” in China receives “unfair subsidization” which poses a “threat of economic injury” to EU automakers. A final decision on the tariffs is expected by November.
China’s Ministry of Commerce has also cautioned that the EU risks igniting a "trade war" if it continues to escalate the situation. Beijing has responded by initiating an anti-dumping investigation concerning certain EU pork products. This comes as the EU represents the biggest overseas market for Chinese EV manufacturers, with imports ballooning from $1.6 billion in 2020 to $11.5 billion in 2023. This accounts for 37% of all EV imports into the EU, as per recent data.
Additionally, these developments come after the United States increased its tariffs on Chinese EVs from 25% to 100% in May.
Max Fischer for TROIB News