A number of European countries have called on the EU to reconsider the plan to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).
Since the EU announced that it would vote on whether to impose temporary tariffs on Chinese EVs as planned in October, many European leaders have visited China.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez paid a visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday. On the last day of his visit in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sanchez said at a press conference, "I have to be bland and frank. I think that we need to reconsider, all of us, not only member states but also the (European) Commission, our position towards this movement.”
Sanchez's statement may suggest that some EU member state leaders are trying to gain enough support to prevent the European Commission from imposing severe restrictions on Chinese EV imports, Bloomberg reported.
Later on Wednesday, Steffen Hebestreit, spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, voiced support for Sanchez's statement, saying that this "direction of travel is one that we share", according to the Bloomberg report.
Prior to this, Germany's opposition to the imposition of extra tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles was obvious. Scholz had made similar remarks, saying that Germany hopes to sell German cars everywhere, including Europe, North America, Japan, and China, and that this means Germany is also willing to import cars from other countries.
Germany and Spain are not the only two member states that are skeptical of the EU's position.
In May of this year, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Hjalmar Kristersson also warned against taking a tough stance on trade with China. He said that the EU should not "dismantle global trade" and "a wider trade war and blockade of each other's products is not the way out for industrial countries such as Germany and Sweden."
Norway, the country with the highest density of electric vehicles in the world, will not follow the EU's footsteps of imposing higher tariffs on Chinese EVs, said Norwegian Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum. He said that "introducing tariffs on Chinese cars is neither relevant nor desirable for this government," Bloomberg reported.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store also pointed out that Norway is not a member of the EU and does not have a common trade policy with the EU, nor will it unilaterally impose sanctions on Chinese EVs.
The 27 EU member states will hold a final vote next month on whether to continue to impose high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. If 15 member states, accounting for 65 percent of the EU population, vote against it, the European Commission will be forced to shelve the measure.
Several European countries call on EU to drop plan to impose extra tariffs on Chinese EVs
Several European countries call on EU to drop plan to impose extra tariffs on Chinese EVs
A Swiss air quality services exhibitor at the just-concluded China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) highlighted the growing demand for sustainable practices in the services industry.
The five-day trade fair wrapped up on Monday after attracting participants from over 80 countries and regions, with a host of international organizations also taking part in the event which was themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity."
The green transition has been a prominent theme at this year's CIFTIS. Frank Hammes, global CEO of Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, emphasized at the event that his company is aligning its product development and operations with the green energy movement.
"As a European company, we have a good tradition, I think we are really leading in the green energy field, but as a manufacturer, we're really stunning with the raw materials and so that's quite important. The next thing is how much energy you use during manufacturing? How much energy do you use for the packaging? What types of packaging materials you're using? And ultimately, but that's the most important thing, how long will your product last? Green today means we have to use whatever we're using much more responsibly. So we have many customers in China now that are using our products for over 20 years. And for example, we're still committed to repairing these products, servicing these products. And again, this is an opportunity for the service industry because labor is abundant, but raw materials are very limited," Hammes said.
Noting the significant potential for green technology solutions in the Chinese market, the CEO said IQAir seeks to assist businesses in showcasing their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives by enhancing transparency about workplace air quality.
"One of the areas that we're working in is helping other companies to show their environmental, social and governance ESG Initiatives. And one of those areas where we can help them is to be more transparent about the air quality that they are giving to their employees at work and able to make sure that they have a healthy, productive working environment. The cognitive ability, the ability to think complex thoughts, is actually reduced. So we help companies be at their best, both from health and from a productivity point of view" he said.
"As a foreign company, you try to use your strength and one of the strengths we have, I think we bring a global perspective. We have so many Chinese companies right now that are interested in expanding globally and I think we're there to help them, to really make sure that they understand if I'm going abroad, I will be looked at in terms of my commitment to my employees, my commitment to the environment. And so we try to help them with that because ultimately an environmental project can only be successful if everyone is part of that," said Hammes.
China initiated a national fair dedicated to promoting trade in services in 2012, which later became known as the CIFTIS. The event has attracted over 900,000 exhibitors and participants from 197 countries and regions since its inception.
Swiss exhibitor at CIFTIS aims to help bolster China's green transition
