The China Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (CCCEU) Tuesday strongly deplored and firmly rejected the EU's protectionist measures against Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers by slapping hefty import duties.
The European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, Tuesday unveiled a draft decision to impose extra duties on China-made battery electric vehicles. The proposed duties will range from 17 percent to 36.3 percent over a five-year period, which includes a specific 9 percent duty on Tesla vehicles produced in China.
In response, China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that this decision is based on facts unilaterally determined by the EU, rather than mutually recognized facts, and China will take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers strongly opposes the EU's latest moves on imported Chinese NEVs. The organization said the decision has brought risks and uncertainties to Chinese investment in Europe and has damaged business confidence in the region. The association urged the EU to engage in bilateral cooperation and strengthen dialogue with China, to jointly safeguard the development of the automotive industry and the security of the global automotive industry chain and supply chain.
Meanwhile, the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU has termed these measures as protectionist, warning that they could disrupt both the European electric vehicle industry and the global green transition. The chamber has urged the EU to reconsider its stance and to promote free trade and cooperation between China and Europe.
"The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the European Commission's trade protectionism. It should be pointed out that the development of the European automotive industry and the European report both show that there is insufficient evidence to prove that China's new energy vehicles have caused substantial damage to the European market. The EU investigation, unilaterally initiated by the European Commission, was not based on complaints from the industry. The EU claim of the threat of damage was also based only on speculation and a very small possibility. This is against fairness and relevant WTO rules, which is unacceptable to the industry," said Fang Dongkui, secretary general of the CCCEU.
Fang said Chinese EV brands' increased market share in the EU is a natural process thanks to their rising international competitiveness. Technological innovation, globally competitive industrial clusters, full-market competition and agile supply chains have made the Chinese EV industry increasingly competitive on the international stage, he said.
The investigation's negative effects on trade, bilateral relations, and efforts to tackle global climate change are increasingly evident, Fang said.
"We call on the EU and its member states to listen carefully to the voices of the Chinese and European automotive industries, view China's electric vehicles and market opportunities in an objective and rational way, and cancel the anti-subsidy tariff arrangements on electric vehicles manufactured in China from the perspective of promoting free trade, respecting globalization, and boosting the world's green transformation, so as to truly promote the mutually beneficial and win-win development of the China and European automotive industry chains and avoid escalating trade frictions between the two sides," he said.
The EU remained China's second-largest trade partner in the first seven months of the year, with bilateral trade reversing a downward trend to grow by 0.4 percent year on year, underscoring the resilience and complementarity of the two economies, latest data from Chinese customs showed.
China trade chamber slams EU protectionist tariffs on EVs
