China firmly opposes the European Union's approval of the final ruling to slap import duties on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) and will continue to negotiate with the EU side to resolve the issue, said a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce on Friday.
On Friday, representatives from EU member states voted to approve the final ruling on the EU anti-subsidy case presented by the European Commission -- the executive arm of the 27-nation EU, which proposes the imposition of anti-subsidy duties on EVs imported from China.
China's position on the EU's anti-subsidy case against China's EVs is consistent and clear. China firmly opposes the EU's unfair, unjustifiable and irrational protectionist approaches, as well as the EU's imposition of anti-subsidy duties on Chinese EVs, the spokesperson said in the statement posted on the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
Through continuous independent innovation, China's EVs have enhanced the high-quality supply of green public products globally, making significant contributions to the global efforts to combat climate change, said the spokesperson.
The EU's protectionist approaches have seriously violated WTO rules and disrupted the normal international trade order. They not only impede trade and investment cooperation between China and the EU, delaying its own green transformation process, but also hinder the global efforts to address climate change, said the spokesperson.
China implemented the consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides, always prioritizing the broader context of maintaining the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and seeking to address differences through dialogs and consultations with the greatest sincerity, said the spokesperson.
Since late June, China and the EU have conducted over 10 rounds of technical consultations at the departmental level, as well as two vice-ministerial-level consultations on the anti-subsidy case against Chinese EVs. On September 19, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and European Commission Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis held comprehensive, in-depth and constructive talks. Both sides demonstrated their political will to resolve differences through dialogs and agreed to initiate price commitment consultations to prevent an escalation of trade frictions, said the spokesperson.
In the subsequent 14 days, China and the EU conducted six rounds of technical consultations. China repeatedly and fully listened to the demands and opinions of both Chinese and European industries, maintaining an open and cooperative attitude throughout the process and demonstrating maximum flexibility, the spokesperson added.
China firmly opposes the EU's final ruling, but has also noticed the EU's political will to resolve the issue through negotiations. The technical teams from the two sides are scheduled to resume discussions on October 7.
China hopes that the EU will realize that imposing additional tariffs will not solve any issue. Instead, it will only undermine and hinder the confidence and determination of Chinese companies to invest and cooperate in the EU.
China urges the EU to take tangible actions that reflect its political will and return to the right track of resolving trade frictions through consultations.
China will take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, said the spokesperson.
China opposes EU tariffs on Chinese EVs, will continue negotiations: Ministry of Commerce
